Main Hoon Na

 

Main Hoon Na is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language masala film written and directed by Farah Khan in her directorial debut. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, Sunil Shetty, Amrita Rao and Zayed Khan and follows Ram Sharma, an Indian soldier sent undercover as a university student to protect a general's daughter from a rogue soldier.

The film began development in 2001, and faced a number of delays during production. Main Hoon Na is notable for approaching the Indo-Pakistani conflict from a neutral perspective. It was filmed at St. Paul's School and the surrounding state of West Bengal. The film is also the first produced and distributed by Red Chillies Entertainment, and is produced by Gauri Khan. Initially scheduled for release in 2003, Main Hoon Na was released worldwide on 30 April 2004.

The film set numerous box-office records during its theatrical run, and with over ₹84 crore (US$12 million) in revenue worldwide, it was the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2004, behind Veer-Zaara. Main Hoon Na received 12 nominations at the 50th Filmfare Awards, including those for Best Film, Best Director for Farah Khan, Best Actor for Shah Rukh Khan, Best Supporting Actor for Zayed Khan, and Best Supporting Actress for Rao. It won for Best Music.

 

Plot

Over an attempt to de-escalate tensions between the two nations, India and Pakistan launch Project Milaap, a prisoner exchange program. Raghavan Dutta, a former Indian soldier discharged for murdering Pakistani citizens in revenge for the murder of his son, shoots his former superior, Brigadier General Shekhar Sharma at a press conference. Raghavan runs a militant group with a former colleague Khan, set against peace between the countries.

On his deathbed, Shekhar informs his son, fellow soldier Major Ram, of his illegitimate child Lakshman, and asks Ram to reconcile with his family. Meanwhile, Ram's boss, Gen. Amarjeet Bakshi, sends him undercover to protect his daughter Sanjana, who studies at the same university as Lakshman. During a race, Lakshman is saved by Ram from falling from the university's roof. The trio becomes friends, and Ram moves in with Lakshman and his mother. Outside a cinema, Ram saves his classmate, Percy, from an assassination attempt by Khan; Ram captures him, but his true identity is found out by Raghavan, who arrives at the university masquerading as a teacher.

Ram falls in love with his teacher, Chandni, while Lakshman falls in love with Sanjana. At prom, Raghavan orders a kidnapping on Chandni, but she is saved by Ram. After meeting with Sanjana, Ram requests Raghavan to drop the pair to her father. Raghavan reveals to Lakshman and his mother of Ram's true identity; Ram informs them his father's last wish implored him to reconcile with his family, and is eventually accepted by the pair.

Raghavan then holds the university hostage, demanding the cancelation of Project Milaap. Accompanying Khan, Ram arrives at the university, and is subsequently shot by Khan. A plan by the pair to feign Ram's death, who attempts to free the hostages, results in Khan being killed by Raghavan. A fight between Ram and Raghavan then kills Raghavan by removing the pin from Raghavan's hand grenade.

Lakshman helps Ram escape from the ensuing explosion from aboard a helicopter and the two happily embrace as brothers, meanwhile Project Milaap is a success and all the prisoners are exchanged triumphantly. Ram and Lakshman go and immerse their father's ashes together, as Madhu tearfully looks on. Lakshman is finally allowed to graduate alongside Ram and the entire university cheers.

Cast

·         Shah Rukh Khan as Major Ram Prasad Sharma: A Para Commando whose objective is to protect Sanjana and reconcile with his half-brother and stepmother

·         Sushmita Sen as Miss Chandni Chopra: Ram, Sanjana and Laxman's chemistry teacher and Ram's love-interest

·         Suniel Shetty as Ex-Major Raghavan Singh Dutta: A rogue ex-Para Commando who was court-martialed when he started killing innocent Pakistani citizens and claiming that they were spies without evident.

·         Amrita Rao as Sanjana "Sanju" Bakshi: General Bakshi's daughter and Lucky's love interest (Few lines as Mona Ghosh Shetty)

·         Zayed Khan as Lakshman "Lucky" Prasad Sharma: Ram's half-brother and Sanju's love-interest

·         Kirron Kher as Mrs. Madhu Sharma: Ram's stepmother and Lucky's mother

·         Kabir Bedi as General Amarjeet Bakshi: Sanju's father and Ram's superior officer

·         Naseeruddin Shah as Brigadier General Shekhar Prasad Sharma: Ram and Lucky's father (Cameo)

·         Murli Sharma as Ex-Captain Khan: Raghavan's second-in-command

·         Bindu as Mrs. Sonali Kakkar, the Hindi teacher, who is very bad at speaking English

·         Boman Irani as Yogant Kumar: College Principal, who is very forgetful

·         Satish Shah as Professor Rasai, the Physics teacher, who spits while speaking, and is very short-tempered

·         Kunal Kumar as Baman: A student who helps Ram hack into university's students' list to search for Lucky

·         Rakhi Sawant as Mini, a flirtatious student

·         Tabu as Aparna: A girl watching Ram dancing (Cameo)

·         Geeta Kapoor as girl dancing; in song "Gori Gori" (Cameo)

·         Sajid Khan as band member; in song "Gori Gori" (Cameo)

·         Praveen Sirohi as Vivek, a jock student

·         Rajeev Punjabi as Percy, a nerdy student