Naseeruddin Shah started his career doing pathbreaking films which didn't get much success but got him a good position as a good actor in bollywood. This film released in 1988 and was a failure no doubt but still is a nice watchable film. The film has Naseer play a Bollywood buff autodriver from Hyderabad, he falls in love with Sanjana Kapoor(Daughter of Shashi Kapoor) The film may not be realistic but yet it's really great. The director doesn't resort to full blown commercial ingredients though some scenes are filmy yet overall the film is still different.Direction by Ketan Mehta is good Music is decentDialogues became a rage, especially Phata Poster Nikla heroNaseeruddin Shah is superb as Hero Hiralal, he can play any character with utmost ease Sanjana Kapoor looks like a doll and hardly is worthy of being an actress, her accent too looks fake but it's okay with the role though. Sadly she alongwith her brother couldn't make it in films. Rohini Hattangudy a regular in offbeat cinema those days is good, Kiran Kumar is good too, Satish Shah is too good, Deepa Sahi is okay, Saeed Jaffrey is likable Mohan Gokhale is good, Dilip Dhawan is too good, rest are all okay Amitabh Bachchan makes a cameo in the end, playing himself surprisingly he did the same in Jalwa(1987).Johnny Lever too has a short role as an inspector.

For a long time I wanted to watch Ketan Mehta's Hero Hiralal. While seeing it I managed to understand why it's liked by some and why in turn it's not a very famous movie today. The movie is quite entertaining and unusual but its second half really lets it down and is close to being pathetic. The film is about Hiralal, a young auto rickshaw driver who has been an avid movie watcher since childhood and whose behaviour is pretty much like of a movie hero. He calls himself Hero Hiralal and that's how people use to refer to him. The movie follows his story, how he falls for a young and beautiful movie star named Rupa and how far he is willing to go in order to prove his love to her. The movie is really enjoyable in the first half and the relationship between Hiralal and Rupa is portrayed effectively. The main reason the movie makes an impact is undoubtedly the presence of Naseeruddin Shah, a great actor who makes an exception in this film by portraying a very naive and innocent young man whose behaviour is at times laughable but mostly makes him a likable guy whose sincerity is really unbelievable. Shah is an actor who is unafraid to make fun of himself on-screen, and that's what he does. Sanjana Kapoor is beautiful and graceful. Too bad the second half of the film was so unrealistic and unclear with Hiralal's weird decision to die a hero's death. Having said that, the movie is nice and it gives the viewer a nice glimpse into the world of cinema. Not the best of Ketan Mehta, an ordinary movie from the general point of view, but still a watchable and different movie which is worth seeing at least once.

Little flavor of 80s (long skirts and no obnoxious dresses), Good music, Naseeruddin Shah at his best as usual, and add a new face on top of that. That's Hero Hiralal for you. People said that it was an inconsequential movie. May be so. What could we expect at the time when Govinda, Anil Kapoor, and other actors were churning out non-sense in the late 80s. Hero Hiralal was a breath of freshness, which was obviously not meant for the masses, however, it may have seemed so. All shots that focused Naseer and Sanjana together were superb in terms of photography, facial focus and dialogues. True that Sanjana couldn't speak Hindi without an accent. What do you expect from an Anglo-Indian girl? But ironically, I still find hers better than the accent of some of today's actresses who speak Hindi like they were born and raised somewhere in Midwest USA.I found Sanjana quite charming (much more beautiful than her nieces Karishma and Kareena). Sapno Ki Duniya (slow version) was a terrific song, obviously lost due to movie's commercial failure. Saeed Jafri, Satish Shah and Mr. Yogi fame actor were good in supporting roles. Deepa Mehta was OK and others merely filled in. This is a movie with no frills, no beach dances, no non-sense. A simple and pure means of entertainment meant for the whole family. It's unfortunate that Sanjana's career didn't click in Bollywood. May be it was her accent or may be it was her timing. Or may be she was just meant for Prithvi Theater. A great movie. Watch it at least once and then decide. By the way, finally the DVD is out for this movie. At least someone recognized the movie!

Naseeruddin Shah is Hero Hiralal, a Hyderabadi Auto-driver, who happens to meet a Newcomer (Played by Sanjana Kapoor) starlet. Becomes a tourist guide to her, and in-turn they fall in love.Cut the starlet is back in Bombay and Hero wants her and follows her to Bombay, but her family wants him out of her life. She is made to say that she does not like him (but she actually does like). Dejected Hero wants to commit suicide. Saved by a Show Lady who wants Hero to die like a great lover in a greatest show on earth (played by Deepa Sahi). But will he die? Let it be suspense!Amitabh Bachchan has made a special appearance as himself. The movie has brilliant moments and the first half is very good, second pales in comparison (but is still worth watching). Naseeruddin Shah is dramatic, but good. Sanjana Kapoor (the first Kapoor daughter on screen - her niece Karishma is latecomer by over half a dozen years) is charming and has underplayed her role. Deepa Sahi in small role is good. Overall a movie worth watching!