Star cast: Ajay Devgan, Kajol.
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Plot: Ajay Devgan is a film hero but his little son calls him a fake hero because he uses duplicates in stunt scenes. He gets a chance to prove that he is a hero when he is kidnapped by cartoon characters.
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What’s Bad: The first half.
Verdict: Toonpur Ka Superrhero doesn’t have much of a future.
Loo break: In the first half.
Watch or Not?: If your kids insist, go for it!
Eros International Media Ltd. and Big Screen Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.’s Toonpur Ka Superrhero is a live action-animation film. Aditya Kumar (Ajay Devgan) is a sought-after film star who doesn’t have dates to spare. He lives with his wife, Priya (Kajol), and two little kids, Kabir (Amey Pandya) and Raima (Chinky Jaiswal). Unfortunately for him, his son, Kabir, does not consider him a hero because all his stunts are done by duplicates. Kabir tells him so because of which Aditya Kumar is worried.
Suddenly one day, Aditya Kumar is kidnapped by the Devtoons, inhabitants of Toonpur, a world of cartoons. The Devtoons want Aditya Kumar to free them from the oppression of the Toonasurs. Since Aditya Kumar’s kids watch cartoon films, they are aware of Toonpur and the cartoons inhabiting it, like Gappi, Bolly, Belan Ben, Lavina, Pandu, Jagaaru, Bakbakasur and others. That is why, the family soon realises that Aditya Kumar is in Toonpur and it establishes contact with him via the computer chat room. Aditya tells Priya, he is safe and explains why he was kidnapped.
All attempts by Aditya Kumar to overpower the Toonasurs fail because the latter are very powerful. The screen hero then appeals to Rubdoot, who is a big fan of his, to give him the Toonastra with which he can defeat the Toonasurs. But it is not so simple. Aditya Kumar realises that Jagaaru, the leader of the Toonasurs, has held his family captive. Jagaaru’s sidekicks challenge Aditya Kumar to a dangerous game of three levels (like a video game) against Jagaaru. Aditya must accept the challenge if he wants to rescue his wife (level 1), his daughter (level 2) and his son (level 3). The superstar uses this opportunity not just to save his family and the Devtoons but also to become a real hero in the eyes of his son. How he wins the game is revealed in the last part of the film.
Script and Screenplay
The film, inspired by the Hollywood film, Space Jam, has a thin, fairy-tale like story which is alright for a cartoon film. But the problem is that such stories do not appeal to the Hindi film audience which is used to watching films replete with masala and with only live characters. Therefore, it is not as if Kireet Khurana and Raagi Bhatnagar have written a weak story and screenplay. But their fairly nice script will not find too many takers among the audiences. There is one weak point in the screenplay – and that is, the base of the story is not too strong. Aditya wanting to prove a point to his son and getting an opportunity to do so just by chance, that too, so soon after the son had insulted Aditya, doesn’t ring true. The first half is dull while the second half is fairly interesting. Mubeen Farooqi’s dialogues complement the story and screenplay.
Star Performances
Ajay Devgan acts ably. Kajol also performs very well. Amey Pandya leaves a mark. Chinky Jaiswal does a fair job. Delnaaz Paul, Raza Murad, Mukesh Tiwari, Tanuja, Shereveer Vakil and Satish Sharma lend the desired support, all in brief roles. Sanjay Dutt’s commentary lends some star appeal.
Direction, Cinematography and Music
Kireet Khurana’s direction is quite nice. Animation work (by 2nz Animation, Pixion and Maya Animation Studios) is very good. Nirmal Jani’s cinematography is eye-pleasing. Jack Gill’s stunts are nice. Music (Anu Malik) is okay. Kumaar and Munna Dhiman’s lyrics ought to have been better.
The Last Word
On the whole, Toonpur Ka Superrhero is an average entertainer but its chances at the box-office aren’t too bright because the audience is not used to enjoying animation characters. Its poor start is another impediment in its box-office business.
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