A bonkers 'masala' movie, Main Hoon Na could be the mutant offspring of Grease and The Matrix. Part thriller, part high school comedy and all Bollywood musical, it's the directorial debut of Farah Khan - choreographer on Dil Se, Monsoon Wedding, and stage show Bombay Dreams. Shah Rukh Khan stars as army commando Major Ram, ordered to pose as a high school student to protect Sanjana (Amrita Rao), the daughter of a top military officer. Question is: can he juggle counter-terrorist operations with love and double physics?
It doesn't take long for Ram to transform into Rambo, wowing his classmates with gravity-defying acrobatics that wouldn't look out of place in a Bond movie, and using Matrix-style bullet-time to dodge the flying spittle of a shouting physics lecturer. Then he falls in love with the new chemistry teacher (Sushmita Sen). Every time Ram sees her, he bursts into song. It's embarrassing enough, even without the violin players who magically appear from nowhere each time.
"THE SOUNDTRACK'S A ZINGER"
It's the sheer diversity of the soundtrack that keeps Main Hoon Na's 179 minutes light on their feet. Skipping from dance anthems to nostalgic love songs, the soundtrack's a zinger. Directing the dance routines with a choreographer's eye, Khan uses the musical range to deliver some memorably original sequences, like the school prom beefed up by a 50s-style rock'n'roll band, or the chemistry lab sing-along that comes complete with exploding desks.
And keep an eye out for supporting actress Rakhi Sawant (Masti) as the school's beauty queen. She may not have much of a part to work with, but the actress struts her stuff for all she's worth - dancing everyone else off the screen. It's the naked ambition of a lass determined to see her name up in lights some time soon.
Main Hoon Na (2004)
