Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment has released a (relatively) toned-down second trailer for the upcoming action filmHeropanti 2, after a first trailer that was widely ridiculed some weeks ago. StarringTiger Shroffin the lead role andNawazuddin Siddiquias the antagonist,Heropanti 2is a standalone sequel to the 2014 original, which itself was a remake of the Telugu language filmParugu. To further confuse matters, the title is a play onHero, the 1983 action film which served as Shroff’s father, actor Jackie Shroff’s first starring role in Bollywood.
While the first trailer forHeropanti 2—watch it at your own peril— infused martial arts with video game aesthetics, cringe humor, and a standard mass surveillance plot, the second trailer focuses on the action. Shroff has carved a neat little niche for himself as a pirouetting action star, and he currently leads as many as three separate franchises — in addition toHeropanti(which roughly translates to ‘heroism’), he also stars in theBaaghiseries and the upcomingGanapath. He was also supposed to star in a remake of theRamboseries, but that project appears to have fallen by the wayside.
In this new trailer, Shroff’s Babloo — “a computer genius” — is pulled into a mission to serve his country. He’s the perfect choice, he says; he has no ties to anybody. He faces off against Laila, Siddiqui’s hacker antagonist, who plans to infiltrate the bank accounts of every Indian citizen. Siddiqui, a massively acclaimed actor in theIndian film industry— he was recently nominated for an International Emmy for his performance in Netflix’sSerious Men— appears to be fully hamming it up as Laila. Although Siddiqui has appeared in a handful of mainstream Hindi movies in the past, it’s quite unusual for him to star in a film such as this. Think of it as stunt casting — like seeingDaniel Day-Lewispop up in the Fast & Furious series.
RELATED:‘Gehraiyaan’ Trailer Reveals Deepika Padukone’s Relationship Drama
Tara Sutaria,who plays the “self-made billionaire” Inaaya,made her film acting debut with 2019’sStudent of the Year 2, which also starred Shroff in the lead. She has since appeared inMarjaavaanandTadap.
Heropanti 2, which can be described as a mainstream Bollywood ‘masala’ film (the equivalent of a Hollywood popcorn entertainer) has been drawing criticism for its overt connections to other movies. The posters drew comparisons to the Hitman franchise, while both the first and second trailers appear to have scenes lifted from the recentShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsand (perhaps deliberately, considering the title)Zhang Yimou’sHero.
Directed byAhmed Khanand featuring music from two-time Academy Award-winnerA.R. Rahman(!),Heropanti 2is slated for an April 29 release in theaters. You can watch the trailer here, and try to keep a straight face while reading the official synopsis down below:
Here’s the official synopsis forHeropanti 2:
Babloo is a computer genius and Inaaya is a self-made billionaire. The two fall in love but due to unforeseen circumstances they suddenly part ways. When they are reunited, action, drama and edge of the seat thrills follow as the world wants Babloo dead.
