“Mard ko dard nahi hota” – a dialogue brought to life by Amitabh Bachchan in the 70s is now a staple in several conversations.
I grew up in a world where the context of this dialogue changed from showcasing what a mard – orhis ‘masculinity’ – was about to now often making it turn into a satire on the lessons of toxic masculinity and just how wrong it was.
With debutante director Vasan Bala’s movie of the same name, the dialogue has taken yet another meaning, and this time there are no false promises of a man having no pain. Instead, there are scientific causes.
Yes, you read it right. Starring newbie Abhimanyu Dassani, Pataakha-fame Radhika Madan and Gulshan Devaiah, this film revolves around Surya (Dassani), who is born with a rare disorder. Congenital insensitivity to pain, they say – a medical disorder where literally, the man can’t feel pain. What follows is a journey of making his liability into an asset, or rather a superpower, as he goes on to meet Supri (Madan), his long-lost childhood sweetheart and not one, but two very quirky-looking Devaiahs in a double role.
Oh, and a lot like Popeye The Sailor Man, who used to used to carry spinach with him for energy, our hero here carries a water bottle. No dehydration, no problem.
The trailer looks fun, the music peppy and the dialogues easy-going. The action scenes, especially, look sharp and well-executed. Also, the scenes with baby Surya are bound to raise your eyebrows as he bleeds profusely, sits inside an ice bucket and yet feels nothing. The cherry on top is the ‘How’s the josh?’ in the end – bound to make you go in splits.
All in all, the film looks promising, with elements of crazy and comedy in place, and might just be another unconventional winner. Releasing on the 21st of March.
Watch the trailer here –
