Didn't know what to expect with this one but I was blown away. The parallels with Fellini's "8 1/2" are unmistakable, right down to the dark sunglasses on our hero who bears a remarkable resemblance to Marcello Mastroianni (on purpose I'm sure). The stories are so similar, except that 8 1/2 centers around a director while The Hero is about an actor, each protagonist losing his soul thanks to success. The surrealistic dream sequences in The Hero border on outright ripoffs of Fellini, and yet everything has a distinct flavor of its own.

I really enjoyed this so much more than 8 1/2, and I figured out why. The Hero is like 8 1/2 but with all the kitschy satire removed. While 8 1/2 is presented as a campy inside joke for film connoisseurs, The Hero is completely lucid, unpretentious and human. Here our protagonist isn't just sleepwalking through a dreamscape, but he reacts with the full range of emotions.

Fellini is an acquired taste, that's for sure. And I think that's because of his "inside joke" approach. Here Satyajit Ray seemed to be responding to Fellini by telling the same story but on a very human & sentimental level. Both films are masterpieces, but I gotta say I found The Hero a lot more relatable.