What
is
common
between
Dev
Anand,
Shammi
Kapoor,
Rajesh
Khanna,
Rajinikanth,
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Aamir
Khan,
Shahrukh
Khan?
They
are
all
not
just
individual
superstars
but
first
a
HERO.
The
other
day
I
offered
my
watchman
a
couple
of
spare
tickets
for
a
newly
released
hindi
film.
First
thing
he
asked
me
before
accepting
the
offer
'bhaiya
hero
kauuun
hain'.
The
following
week
I
was
sitting
besides
a
pretty
middle-aged
lady
executive
en
route
to
Goa.
As
we
chatted,
I
introduced
myself
as
a
screenwriter
and
mentioned
a
latest
Bollywood
flick
that
had
hit
the
screens.
Before
I
could
narrate
the
plot
she
questioned
me
'Who
is
the
hero
of
the
film'.
Hero
today
is
synonymous
with
stars
or
rather
superstars.
But
do
we
know
the
reason
why?
Actors
don't
become
Stars
overnight.
What's
makes
a
star
out
of
an
actor
is
his
ability
to
play
the
Hero
meticulously
and
consistently.
The
secret
of
superstars
or
rather
Heroes
is
that
they
qualify
and
deliver
to
certain
expectations
from
the
audience.
So
what's
the
definition
of
a
'HERO'?
To
understand
it
in
simple
terms
lets
break
it
up…
H-E-R-O
H:
Histrionics
Film
is
a
derived
medium
of
entertainment.
Derived
largely
from
theatre,
which
was
existent
since
centuries.
Theatre
is
about
acting
live
in
front
of
several
people
who
watch
the
performance
from
various
distances
and
angles.
Therefore
the
actors
have
to
give
a
highly
charged
and
melodramatic
presentation
to
engage
the
audience.
This
charged
and
larger
than
life,
showmanship
got
absorbed
by
cinema
so
much
so
that
it
has
become
an
integral
part
of
its
bloodstream.
Actors
employ
the
audience's
attention
with
their
ability
to
exhibit
various
emotions
credibly
through
their
screen
characters.
In
Bollywood
especially
we
have
great
actors
who
have
played
different
shades
of
drama,
romance,
comedy
and
action
in
the
same
film
within
the
same
character
width.
Histrionics
is
when
the
actors
emotionally
absorb
the
audience
and
keep
them
awestruck
with
their
onscreen
charm
and
chutzpah.
Histrionics
thus
becomes
one
of
the
most
important
components
of
a
Hero's
identity.
E:
Empathy
To
empathize
with,
literally
means
to
identify
with.
We
all
have
the
desire
to
become
heroes
in
our
own
right.
Like
Dale
Carnegie
put
it,
"All
human
actions
are
out
of
the
sex
urge
or
the
desire
to
be
great." Thus
it's
easy
to
identify
with
heroes
who
are
in
pursuit
of
achievements
that
make
them
larger
than
life.
The
conflicts
created
in
the
story
act
as
stumbling
blocks
and
put
the
Hero
in
distress
time
and
again.
The
vulnerability
in
the
Hero
moves
the
audience
and
thus
they
love
to
empathize
with
him
since
in
reality
we
all
are
crammed
with
vulnerabilities.
Heroes
use
their
might
and
will
to
overcome
these
hindrances
both
external
and
internal
and
rise
to
glory.
Rajnikanth
R:
Root
for
Often
Films
flop
because
though
crafted
with
various
cinematic
dynamics
as
the
audience
fails
to
identify
who
the
Hero
of
the
Film
is.
The
audience
invests
in
a
movie
with
the
desire
to
root
for
their
Hero.
Yet
at
times
the
Hero
is
either
motiveless
or
ill
defined.
Thus
the
audience
after
sitting
through
the
whole
saga
comes
out
feeling
empty
as
they
couldn't
identify
with
the
protagonist
or
worst,
there
was
nobody
to
root
for.
Take
any
sport
where
spectators
love
to
cheer
and
follow
their
sport
star,
since
they
believe
in
him
and
want
him
to
win.
Likewise
the
movie
buffs
root
for
their
Hero,
want
to
see
him
overcome
all
obstacles,
win
the
heart
of
his
beloved,
outwit
the
arch?rival,
overpower
the
villains
paraphernalia
and
save
the
world
just
in
the
nick
of
time.
That's
when
the
audience
walks
out
of
the
cinema
hall
breathless,
yet
with
a
feeling
of
being
on
cloud
nine…
All
because
the
Hero
they
rooted
for
didn't
let
them
down.
O:
Outstanding
The
journey
of
the
hero
has
to
be
outstanding.
Nobody
wants
to
see
a
hero
who
starts
as
a
milkman
at
the
beginning
of
the
film
and
remains
so
without
any
remarkable
achievements.
But
the
audience
would
love
to
see
a
milkman
who
gets
hit
by
a
truck
and
then
he
wakes
up
in
the
hospital
with
the
divine
ability
of
being
able
to
read
people's
minds...
Now
we
are
talking.
A
hero
cannot
be
mundane
and
boring.
Likewise
he
doesn't
have
to
necessarily
be
flashy
or
superhuman.
Most
importantly
it's
his
journey
in
the
film
that
is
extra?ordinary.
Two
small
time
thieves
are
hired
to
kill
a
big
dacoit
in
order
to
avenge
the
mass
murder
of
a
Policeman's
family,
in
pursuit
they
find
their
soul
mates
but
lose
out
on
their
partnership
since
one
of
them
dies
-
Sholay.
An
ordinary
student
with
creative
skills
walks
into
a
university,
finds
his
soul
mate,
helps
couple
of
his
friends
find
their
real
purpose,
pranks
with
a
bookworm,
teaches
an
arrogant
professor
not
only
how
to
educate
others
but
also
how
to
lead
a
truly
successful
and
meaningful
life,
and
ultimately
ends
up
following
his
passion,
with
the
world
chasing
him?
3
Idiots.
Heroes
are
not
necessarily
always
larger
than
life
in
their
looks
or
getup.
It's
their
deeds,
their
attitude
and
their
achievements
in
the
screen
story
that
makes
them
idols
to
die
for.
Heroes
are
nothing
but
incredible
journeys
of
struggle
and
triumph
that
deep
down
everyone
of
us
wants
to
experience
on
a
day?to?day
basis.
Story first published: Friday, August 27, 2010, 15:32 [IST]