WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Pushing it to the limit. We might usually associate this with fitness goals, as we strive to attain or exceed the peak levels of physical performance we are able to achieve. We also have the point of reaching that pinnacle of our exertions, even to the extent of utter agony if not remaining aware of our breaking point. However, what would happen if you discovered that no matter what measure of bodily harm was inflicted upon you–you felt nothing? First, meet young Surya (Sartaaj Kakkar), a boy whose found out by what should have been rather agonizing trial and error that he literally feels no pain, ultimately diagnosed as Congenital Insensitivity. Handy, right?
Being bullied throughout his schooling, Surya realizes that his sole goal in life, thanks to witnessing a classic Kung-Fu film (on VHS!), is to learn martial arts and fight goons while saving his crush, Supri (Riva Arora), from her abusive father. With events transpiring that separate the young “couple”, Surya trains in secret via his beloved martial arts movies, encouraged to pursue it all by his grandfather Ajoba (Mahesh Manjrekar), much to Surya’s father’s disapproval. Now an adult, Surya (Abhimanyu Dassani) takes his lethal skills to the streets and becomes embroiled in a web of family drama involving twin brothers–Karate Mani (Gulshan Devaiah) and his evil counterpart Jimmy (also Devaiah), while reuniting with Supri (Radhika Madan) in the process, the two embarking on a butt-kicking adventure to redemption.
Next, my Mind:
Directly translated as “The Man Who Feels No Pain”, this critic is g0ing to be perfectly transparent here when saying it’s time to get the big bucket of popcorn, your favorite beverage, a sweet treat to top it off, and then sit back in that beautiful reclining theater seat and get ready to have good ole fashioned, throwback-inspired, completely over-the-top bit of raucous fun thanks to this new indie feature film effort from writer/director Vasan Bala and Bollywood uber producer Ronnie Screwvala, making it’s U.S. debut at the 2019 Dallas Fort Worth South Asian Film Festival sponsored by Toyota USA. Especially channeling the cheesy yet beautifully addicting attraction of the 80’s style action/comedies, the 134-minute romp really is a total blast, presenting the viewer with some excellently choreographed, high-octane, slow-motion-infused action sequences, hilariously silly comedy, and the debut of a new lead actor whom I get the sense we’ll be seeing a lot more of in the coming years. It works because it’s so overtly clear the narrative isn’t remotely taking itself seriously, which is the genius behind this particular genre, and the fact that Indian action films are just so much more refreshingly different and flat-out entertaining in their overall execution than standard Hollywood fare, which only makes it that much more appealing.
Plus, who can resist watching a hero who’s just as much a geek as an adult as he was as a kid, the only difference being he can now fly through the air and render gravity-defying kicks and that could shatter concrete and punches that would shake worlds. What else could we ask for? There are moments throughout where things throttle down a bit, and this is mainly where the more jovial efforts occur, which again are just as delightfully amusing as they can be, hence why it works. Additionally, our hero, like any true champion, does have a weakness, and while I will not spoil what it is, it fits wonderfully into the entire notion of today’s fitness craze and one of the primary elements associated with it that is so often stressed ad nauseum, making it the perfect foil to our warrior’s adrenaline pumping skillset. Add in the smoothly shot visuals, greatly apropos soundtrack, and a magnificently, very intentionally exaggerated villian, it’s truly the whole package designed for one thing–splendidly diverting spectacle. As mentioned earlier, the fight scenes are just amazingly well-done, and I read how all three primary actors spent months upon months learning, training, getting bumps and bruises along the way to make it happen, and it very much shows, to our grateful benefit as viewers.
Likewise hinted above, the project is also impressive as it is the film debut of Dassani, the son of famed “Maine Pyar Kiya” actress Bhagyashree, who needless to say makes the most of his inaugural outing by delivering this attention-getting, conflict solving, bad guy bashing performance as Surya who, as a boy, first learns that getting beat up, while not at all fun in itself, doesn’t seem to hurt as much as he would expect thanks to being confirmed as having a disorder that prevents him from feeling pain. Very much influenced by both his surroundings, bouts of trouble that seem to follow him, and the obsession with VHS martial arts films, the boy grows into a man and becomes a one-person, wise-cracking, virtually unstoppable weapon of justice against evil and anyone who would seek to hurt his precious Supri (though, as you’ll see…she is FAR from helpless!). Bringing all his skills to bear, complete with nerdy glasses and specialized backpack to boot, Surya really inadvertently becomes tangled in a war between twin brothers, one of whom Surya has actually idolized, as they fight over family past, present, and medical care even as he tries his level best to fight the good fight without losing too much in perspiration. Overcoming the odds, saving the day, and winning back the girl all come into play for this titan of tumult, totally pain free and in the most ludicrously overstated, excessive, and jocular ways possible and throughout there is no doubt Dassani not only relishes and simply owns the role, but makes sure to enact it to the fullest extent so that the viewers have just as much fun as he’s having. With charisma to spare, this kid is one to watch for.
Now, let’s not at all leave out the next piece of this puzzle, which arrives full of spunk, beauty, and no-nonsense action chops via Madan as Surya’s infatuation and evil’s next bane, Supri. Having had a childhood that was less than stellar, Supri always had her aid getting through it in the form of Surya. Managing to last through the abuse her father often doled out, Supri learns quickly enough how to take matters into her own hands, or otherwise team up with Surya to make things better. She re-enters Surya’s life as an adult in a definitively decisive manner–by taking on, and out, a bunch of goons to protect an innocent from being hurt by them, much to Surya’s awe. She also finds herself immersed into the conflict between Karate Mani and Jimmy, all while having her own personal battles involving her current boyfriend, who’s more manipulated her to love him via her parents than truly cherishing her. Ultimately ending up in a twisted game arranged by Jimmy, Supri along with Surya, Karate Mani, and even Ajoba have to fight their way free, leading to the eventual showdown with Jimmy where Supri asserts herself with deadly precision to aid her friends. Throughout the film, Madan so superbly infuses every moment of action, comedy, and even a little drama with a total sense of fun that the film warrants and she does so as believably as is possible given the tone and general nature of the film. She certainly makes a strong showing, illustrating vulnerability but not helplessness, toughness but not invincibility, real beauty not artificial, all of which should put her even more on the map now, deservedly so.
Then there is the double threat that is Devaiah, a highly talented actor who first makes us root for the good brother Karate Mani, a hero of Surya’s and one whose backstory unfolds as the film progresses, becoming the catalyst for much of the insanity that ensues once the real pursuit of his evil brother is initiated. Given his upbringing and training he did alongside Jimmy, they’re path eventually disconnected due to a conflict arising from favoritism showed to him over Jimmy by their father. Having sacrificed more of himself, in a literal sense, than he would have ever deemed necessary for the sake of Jimmy, Mani soon joins up with Surya and Supri to put a stop to Jimmy’s criminalized ways. One the opposite end of the spectrum, Devaiah actually shines even brighter as the diabolical Jimmy, the embittered twin of Mani who finally chose to make it known that being the unfavored son by their father was not going to be stood for. Trying his level best to make life complete hell for Mani, and then subsequently Surya and Supri, his arrogant confidence is both menacing but really quite witty and purposefully pretentious, which only adds to the grander humor of such a entertainingly inflated baddie. It’s clear that Devaiah totally embodies the role of Jimmy more so to absolute hammy delight and waggish ominousness, and he is a total treat to watch play it up to the maximum extent he can with truly great effectiveness.
Primary supporting turns arrive from Kakkar and Arora as the young versions of Surya and Supri, well-played by the two child actors, Manjrekar as Surya’s mischievous grandfather Ajoba, Satyajit Ganu as Supri’s boyfriend Atul, Jimit Trivedi as Jatin, Shweta Prasad as Surya’s mother, and Prateek Parmar as Samurai among others. In total, “Mard Ko Dard Manin Hota” is exactly the cure for the movie doldrums, especially when looking to watch pure entertainment, well-crafted action, goofy humor, and the debut of who should be one of India’s next on screen stars. Finally, remember to catch this wonderfully fun film now streaming on Netflix!!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
