A laajawab movie!

Try imagining Shah Rukh Khan as the fat, blond, retired superhero, Mr Incredible.

Seems tough, doesn't it?

But somehow, the producers of the Hindi version of the Disney-Pixar animation film, The Incredibles, called Hum Hai Laajawab have managed to make the impossible look plausible in this entertaining movie.

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If you did not know that the movie was originally produced in English, then there is no way of telling that Hindi was not the language of choice for the producers. Not once did the characters feel out of sync; not once does it make you feel that the voice did not belong to the character.

It is said of Mohammed Rafi, the late talented singer, that his voice always suited the film characters. That is exactly what we see in Hum Hai Laajawab.

The movie, in case you don't already know, follows the adventures of a family of former superheroes rediscovering the true source of their powers. The story is predictable -- good versus evil and the eventual triumph of right over wrong. But it also conveys a very important message: we must never forget our real selves.

The film begins in an era when superheroes like Bob Parr (aka Mr Incredible) and his family ruled the roost in this world and saved lives on a daily basis. But then in a disastrous turn of events, they are asked to hang up their boots and return to a life of obscurity.

Then, with no superheroes to save the world, an evil genius Sankimaan (Jaaved Jaafrey) puts into work a master plan that will see him become the world's only superhero.

Of course, Mr Laajawab saves the world in the end, and makes the people realise that do-gooders should always be welcome.

Audiences seem to have a love-hate relationship with Shah Rukh Khan. There are those who absolutely love his energy and there are others who just cannot stand his stutter and over-acting. I belong to the latter category.

But Shah Rukh surprises in this movie with a brilliantly restrained performance, which was exactly what the character needs. Perhaps the biggest success of a dubbed movie is when, after a while, you tend to forget the voice and focus only on the character. And that is what happened in Hum Hai Laajawab

But perhaps the biggest surprise in the movie is Shah Rukh's son Aryan, who lent his voice to the character of Tez (Dash, in the English version), the son of Mr Laajawab. Aryan's voice has a genuine impishness to it which makes one's heart melt. For a seven-year-old first timer, the effort is very good.

Jaaved Jaafery not only lends his voice to the character of Sankimaan, but has also written the delightful dialogues for the movie.

One character that makes an instant impression is Edna Mode -- the costume designer for the superheroes. She longs for the return of the era of superheroes. When that finally happens, she goes all out to make the perfect costume. Asif Ali Beg (the voice of Edna's character) does a brilliant job.

Rakshanda Khan voiced for the character of Mrs Laajawab and Malishka Mendonsa plays a sexy, sultry vamp called Mona (Mirage) who lures Mr Laajawab to his doom. But she has her heart in the right place. And so does this movie.

Hum Hai Laajawab is a good family entertainment, and children may want to walk out of the theatre wanting to be Tez or Invisible Girl.