The Great Grand Superhero Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Jackie Shroff, Prateik Smita Patil, Bhagyashree
Director: Manish Saini
The Great Grand Superhero Movie Review Synopsis:
THE GREAT GRAND SUPERHERO is the story of a kid and his bond with his grandfather. Dipu (Mihir Harshad Godbole) shifts to Hoshiyarpur with his family – grandfather Jagdish Chandra (Jackie Shroff), father (Kundan Kumar) and mother (Riddhi Shukla). He gets admission to Adarsh Vidya Mandir school in the town and struggles to make friends. Laddu (Shivanssh Chourghe) is curious about Deepu and starts talking to him. To keep him interested, Dipu makes up a story that his grandfather is a superhero and possesses superpowers. He further claims that his grandfather frequently fights aliens. Laddu is excited and ends up blurting about it to the rest of the classmates. They all desire to meet his grandfather. Dipu hesitates since Jagdish Chandra is anything but a superhuman. He is suffering from age-related issues, is scared of lizards and can't even lift heavy stuff. Dipu needs to find a way to ensure that his classmates don't find out the truth. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
The Great Grand Superhero Movie Story Review:
Manish Saini's story is very fresh and much-needed, since there are hardly any films aimed at kids. Manish Saini's screenplay is peppered with delightful moments but is also incoherent. Manish Saini's dialogues raise laughs.
Manish Saini's direction is decent. He is equipped with a novel story and there are not many references. Hence, he goes by his conviction and keeps viewers invested. Dipu’s entry scene and the manner in which word spreads about his grandfather among the classmates, leading to awe and even suspicion, keeps the interest going. There’s a twist in the middle of the first half which further ups the excitement. The entry of the two mysterious creatures in the town raises a lot of laughs. Also funny is the connection to the TV Show Mahabharat, GADAR [2001] and KOI MIL GAYA’s [2003] Jaadu.
On the flipside, the execution, like the script, is disjointed in some places. A few scenes don’t transition properly, and this is especially evident during the intermission point. The film starts with Laddu narrating the story of Deepu’s grandfather to a group of young adults, and it looks forced and unnecessary. Certain developments leave audiences bewildered – was the handicapped girl Chingy (Asmi Deo) Dipu’s classmate? If yes, why don’t we ever see her in class, except during her entry scene? Why don’t Musi (Bhagyashree) or her colleagues participate in the finale fight? The two creatures are very much with Jagdish, they even have the ability and yet, they don’t offer any sort of help. The writer-director needed to take care of these aspects for a better impact.
The Great Grand Superhero Movie Review Performances:
Jackie Shroff gets into the skin of his character and delivers a performance which is subtle and also very effective. Even in the superhero scenes, he keeps his act just right. Mihir Harshad Godbole makes his presence felt and delivers a confident performance. Shivanssh Chourghe is the scene-stealer. He's the one who provides several laughs from start to finish. Jihan Jeetendra Hodar (Chanakya) is too good as a smart chap who could see through the superhero claims. Asmi Deo is decent but is let down by the writing. Bhagyashree and Prateik Smita Patil do well in cameo appearances. Kundan Kumar and Riddhi Shukla are wasted; the makers should have focused a little bit more on them and explained about their work, why do they shift constantly, etc. Saharsh Shukla and Kumar Saurabh are aptly cast. Durgesh Kumar (Kannu; Khulasa News journalist) is dependable, as expected. Sharat Saxena (Kartar Singh) lends able support and raises chuckles.
The Great Grand Superhero movie music and other technical aspects:
None of the songs – 'Dushman Ka Dada', 'Superhero Dada' and 'Uth Jaa' – are catchy or memorable. The background score is in sync with the film’s quirky theme.
Swathy Deepak's cinematography is cinematic. The locales are beautifully captured by the lensman. Snigdha Karmahe and Pankaj Pol's production design are aesthetic. Bhagyashree D Rajurkar, Anuj Sharma, Prasun Basu and Gauri Tiwari's costumes are realistic and the superhero costume is appropriate. Firefly Creative Studio's VFX is decent in a few places, but overall, it is sub-standard. Parvez Shaikh's action is satisfactory and not gory at all, considering it’s a kid-friendly film. Girgit Studios' animation in the beginning is appealing. Deepa Bhatia's editing is sharp.
The Great Grand Superhero Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, THE GREAT GRAND SUPERHERO is a well-intentioned, rare children's film from Bollywood, driven by a novel plot and endearing performances from Jackie Shroff and the young actors. Unfortunately, its potential is pulled down by a disjointed script and puzzling moments. At the box office, it releases with limited buzz and would need a good word of mouth to attract its target audience.