The trailer of Vikramaditya Motwane's Bhavesh Joshi Superhero begins with a joke on Mumbai's first superhero. "That was Ra. One," says one of the three friends–Harshvardhan Kapoor, Priyanshu Painyuli and Ashish Verma–who eat at one of those non-descript canteens that serve thalis in steel plates and bowls. "No, G. One," one of the others cut in. The third friend has conceptualised a graphic novel about a superhero who solves the problems of the city.
An Aam Aadmi Party-type movement sweeps the country. The three friends start out by trying to deal with civic issues such as urinating on walls, or burning garbage–accompanied by raspy rap verses from what sounds like a very Amit Trivedi score. Wearing tacky paper bags as masks, they often often end up looking comically amateurish (they broadcast their activities on a YouTube channel "Insaaf TV").
Halfway into the trailer, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, co-written by Motwane, Anurag Kashyap and Abhay Koranne, appears to be taking a half-jokey, realistic approach. Until, things get out of hand. Bhavesh Joshi is caught, beaten up and branded by politicians a "terrorist, and agent of enemy nation". There's no other choice left than to don the suit: a sleek, black jacket, a mask and a bike that glows in the dark with red LED tubes. "Hero paida nahi hota,"(You aren't born a hero) we hear his voice, "Banta Hai."(You become one).
Will Bhavesh Joshi, produced by Phantom Films, Eros International and Reliance Entertainment, be the Indian superhero movie we have been waiting for all along? We'll find out on 25 May.
Watch the trailer here: