Though predictable, Toofaan does overcome the banality of the sports dramas released recently in Bollywood

Rating: 2.5/5

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal

Directed by: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Streaming on: Amazon Prime

Toofaan, the latest addition to the underdog sports drama movie does have some communal elements to add a pinch of spice to the much-used format, but it is not enough to elevate it from the usual sports drama template.

Toofaan, released on Amazon Prime on 16^th   July stars Farhan Akhtar in the lead role as Ajju Bhai (Azeez Ali), an orphaned local goon who transforms himself into a successful boxer, referred to as Toofaan. But the success does not last long for Ajju and he is banned by the boxing federation for spot-fixing for almost five years. Life, however, gives him a second chance, and will Ajju make good use of it, will he wipe out the defamation he suffered five years ago? Well, you will have to watch the film to find out, though most of it is easily predictable.

The emotional quotient is what makes Toofaan a watchable film. Mrunal Thakur plays Ananya, Ajju’s love interest and later wife. She is charmingly convincing and perfectly executes her role. She is not merely used to fill the gap of a vacant female lead and has her own fair share of significant screen space.

Paresh Rawal’s coach Nana is also a delight to watch. It is indeed rare to see him in such intense and serious characters. He holds on to the disciplined yet loveable coach character quite well and brings the character to completion.

Ajju is raised a Muslim and this brings problems in his life because we live in a country like India, where people still obsess over religion. Though this communal element has been added, it has not been utilized properly, to its extreme severity. It barely just touches upon the issue when Azeez, a Muslim lad falls for Ananya, a Hindu girl. Maybe a little more detailing here could have made the plot a bit more interesting.

When the ban on Ajju’s boxing license is lifted, we see him struggling to get back to his earlier physique. This scene somewhere reminded me of Sultan, starring Salman, which again was a story of a once-successful wrestler who is long forgotten and wants to make a comeback.

Farhan Akhtar yet again proves his mettle as an actor. He is brilliant and spot-on as Azeez Ali alias Toofan. I loved how he catches on the Dongri-style accent and body language. Simply nailed it. How is it that, every time Farhan makes a screen presence, he charms his way to our hearts?

The music of Toofaan is not magically appealing but not uninteresting as well.

From the team who gave us a masterpiece sports drama like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, better was expected. Toofaan may be a watchable sports drama movie but definitely not an inspiring one. It sure does have a slightly different storyline with enough drama. And given the recent banality of Indian sports dramas, Toofaan is a sigh of relief. It is definitely a good one-time watch.

Read: Are sports dramas getting boring and predictable?

Image Courtesy: YouTube