A poster of Rakesh Roshan's "Krrish." Krish means the Indian-Hindu god

Bollywood has now got its own real superman. After decades of flaunting its hero, who had unbelievable powers, which included singing, dancing, wooing damsels and walloping dozens of thugs, the Bombay cinema recently released its own "desi" brand of superman, comparable to Hollywood's Phantom, Spiderman and Superman.

Called "Krrish," a short form for the Indian-Hindu god, Krishna, the new film packs into its superhero the extraordinary physical strength and other
supernatural qualities of Hinduism's mythical creations, like Hanuman, the monkey god, and Ram, who personifies righteousness.

Produced and directed by Rakesh Roshan, "Krrish" is a sequel to his earlier, "Koi Mil Gaya" (I Have Found Somebody), which talks about an lien-blessed Rohit, who then acquires supernatural powers. Krrish is Rohit's son in the latest movie, gifted with divine intelligence and strength as well as a sixth sense. Raised by his grandmother after his parents' death. Krrish falls in love with a television journalist who comes to his village to learn hang gliding. Krrish follows her to her home in Singapore, where he meets the villain responsible for his parents' death. Krrish transforms himself into a leather-clad superman, flying along (sans the web), weaving around skyscrapers and eventually saving the world from the bad man, out to make a machine that can see the future.

As with most Bollywood movies, "Krrish" covers just about everything, from romance to melodrama, intrigue to action. Performances by the lead pair, Hrithik (who is Krrish on the screen) and his love interest, Priyanka Chopra, are hyperactive and overplayed. Even seasoned actors, such as Rekha and Naseeruddin Shah, appear disappointing in parts dealt with in a cursory manner.

"Krrish" is a family affair. Roshan's son, Hrithik, plays Krrish the superman, while his brother, Rajesh, has composed the music. With a Rambo-like body and fine chiseled face, Hrithik became a darling of the
female masses after his debut syrupy love story, "Kaho Na Pyar Hai" (Tell Me You Love Me). However, a series of flops plagued the hero's career till his ather lifted him in "Koi Mil Gaya."

Rakesh Roshan has cleverly played on the average Indian's fascination for the supernatural. Fed on epics like "The Ramayana" and "The Mahabharata," which glorifies the heroic deeds of phenomenally strong men, Indians worship these ethereal characters. This is an important reason for India's mythological cinema being extremely popular. This led to the emergence of the Bollywood hero with his prowess to prance around nymphets and pound the bad guy.

Roshan takes this marvel a step further by clothing his hero in shiny leather and pushing him into a flight of fancy. "Krrish" is modern in that sense, with the superman having shed not just his traditional clothes, but also his human qualities. The one that he does not let go is love for a woman, but then Indian folklore and religious tales are full of romance and they-lived-happily-ever-after endings. Roshan has merely completed this picture.

He, however, made sure that such mushy melodrama did not impede his son from flaunting a world-class style. He Hired Tony Ching, renowned for his work on "House of Flying Daggers" and "Hero," to train Hrithik in martial arts.

"Krrish's" action sequences, which Rakesh described as poetry, were filmed mostly in Singapore.

To perfect the visual effects, Rakesh imported two experts from Hollywood, Marc Kolbe and Craig A. Mumma, who worked on "Godzilla" and "Independence Day."

All this pushed "Krrish's" budget up to more than 450 million rupees (approximately $10 million). Bollywood will consider this figure huge, but it appears miniscule by Hollywood standards. Warner Brothers' "Superman Returns," opened in India on June 30, cost more than $200 million.