An Action Hero is the smartest that Bollywood has been in a long while. And that starts from the title itself, which is more a subversion of the idea of an action hero than a reinforcement of it. Starring Ayushmann Khurrana in what is perhaps the most un-Ayushmann turn in the actor’s career so far, this meta, self-aware sparkling comedic thriller takes what is largely an innocuous one-line idea — that of a Bollywood superstar, marked by both buffed-up bod and ego, killing a person of influence inadvertently and going on the run — and running with it.

Directed by first-timer Anirudh Iyer, who also writes the film with a screenplay by Neeraj Yadav, An Action Hero hits the ground running and plays out at a frenetic pace over the next 132 minutes, transporting itself seamlessly from the dusty plains of Haryana to the cobbled streets of London.

Maanav (Ayushmann) is a slave to his own narcissism, a larger-than-life Bollywood hero who has carefully and in a calculated manner crafted a public image of himself. Maanav likes to believe he is a ‘method actor’ whose anger needs to be incited in order for him to be able to do an action scene effectively. It’s precisely this impulsive angry trait that lands Maanav in trouble when an abusive fan gets too close for comfort. The fan ends up dead, his trigger-happy politician brother (Bhoora, played by Jaideep Ahlawat) starts baying for Maanav’s blood and ‘Superstar Maanav’ who flees to London (“Kyunki Mallya aur Nirav bhi wahin pe hain”), soon becomes a criminal, public sentiment against him being fanned by an all-too-familiar hyperactive media.

Abandoned by the world that once adored him, it is soon left to Maanav to use his resources, wit and mental and physical strength to get himself out of the stink hole he finds himself in.

There is never a dull moment in An Action Hero where the lines between hero and villain often get blurred. If Maanav is a victim of toxic masculinity, he propagates it too in many, many ways. Fed by self-conceit fanned by many years of being put on a pedestal by both yes men and fans, Maanav finds himself grappling to stay alive in a world from which he is largely divorced.

Ultimately, it becomes survival of the fittest, with An Action Hero illustrating the fragility of fate and the fickleness of idol worship. The film smartly and succinctly touches upon themes that have now more or less become hashtags — from #BoycottBollywood to #AntiNational to #MediaCircus. It’s to the credit of the writing that nothing ever becomes too heavy, with even the electric antagonistic chemistry between Ayushmann and Ahlawat being treated with a rare lightness of touch.

A running gag involves the characters getting confused about key details, bringing on a chuckle or two, even though the inherent tension never really lets off. And the use of a dead-ringer for newsman Arnab Goswami, now almost a distinct Bollywood sub-genre, never gets old.

What works in An Action Hero — particularly as an Ayushmann Khurrana film — is that there is no social message or moralistic more thrown in. Maanav is a cocky, entitled and morally ambiguous man who manipulates situations and motivations to suit his own purpose. The twist in the tail, orchestrated by him and ending in a delicious finish that few saw coming, makes the film worth the ride and a trip to the movies worth your money.

An Action Hero (u/a)

Director: Anirudh Iyer

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Jaideep Ahlawat, Harsh Chhaya, Neeraj Madhav, Vaquar Shaikh

Running time: 132 minutes