Heroes R Us

his lady love off her feet. Coming from a small suburb of Kolkata, he has never even been on a date before. As he embarks on his most critical mission, the biggest danger comes not from alien rocks like Kryptonite or super-villains but the fact that he finds himself being forced to join hands with the very men he fought against-the Minister who wants to use his powers to rig elections, the policeman who tried to kill him in an `encounter' and the business tycoon who wants to cash in on his popularity by signing him on as a brand ambassador.

Most importantly, the catalyst for him discovering his powers is the simple fact that for once he decides not to look the other way when he sees a stranger in distress. He decides to go against what has been drummed into him since childhood-the fact that `decent middle class' people do not get involved when there may be trouble. He shrugs off the same apathy that has made `being a hero' almost a derogatory term in modern India-a term for unwarranted bravado. Perhaps what we really need is not a Superman but an `everyman'- for people like Arnab, for people like you and me to stand up against the villains, large and small, that we see around us every day. For when apathy ends, heroism begins.

And oh yes, the bread pudding was well worth the wait.