Toofaan overview: Farhan Akhtar film pops with good jabs, ends with a satisfying punch

Toofaan film forged: Farhan Akhtar, Paresh Rawal, Mrunal Thakur, Hussain Dalal, Mohan Agashe, Vijay Raaz, Supriya Pathak, Darshan KumarToofaan film director: Rakeysh Omprakash MehraToofaan film score: 3.5 stars
‘Toofaan’ is your underprivileged-underdog-to-boxing-champion story whose arc is completely predictable, however what makes this movie such an pleasing watch is the way in which it has been written and carried out. You know precisely the place it should go, however the journey pops with good feints and jabs, and ends with a satisfying punch.
Given the utter banality of current Bollywood outings, I’d given up hope of assembly a well-done mainstream movie the place every acquainted component is marinated simply so. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra doesn’t pull again from style components, however clothes them up with sufficient confidence and freshness for us to root for Aziz Ali aka Ajju Bhai, performed with nice brio by Farhan Akhtar.
Our Dongri-ka-small-time-vasooli-bhai goes about doing ‘phoda-phodi’ (in common Hindi, it might be ‘maar-peet’; principally, it quantities to beating up individuals unable to pay their lease or ‘hafta’, alongside together with his loyal pal-cum-roommate (Hussain Dalal, superb, giving an edge to the usual BFF function). Akhtar begins with slightly additional swagger and mumble, however quickly settles into it, tight pants-belt-tee to the fore.
From right here on, you may see what’s developing a mile off. A meet-cute with fairly native physician Ananya (Mrunal Thakur, perky, likeable) will result in, sure, a flutter of hearts. An encounter with robust, irascible coach Nana Prabhu (Paresh Rawal) will result in Aziz being put via his paces, and reaching the ring, the hallowed place for all aspiring boxers.
This is the place writers Anjum Rajabali and Vijay Maurya (props to the latter for the dialogues, particularly the rat-a-tat ‘tapori’ traces) start inserting twists. Prabhu is a proud Hindu who’s satisfied that there’s no distinction between ‘Dongri and Dubai’. Calling his uber-talented Musalmaan pupil an unstoppable ‘toofaan’ is one factor; embracing him as an individual is unthinkable. The show-me-how-hard-you-can-work-and-then-we’ll-talk grouchy coach is such a drained trope, from ‘Rocky’ to ‘Million Dollar Baby’ to our personal ‘Saala Khadoos’, however Paresh Rawal effortlessly freshens it and makes it his personal. Mohan Agashe, as his fixed companion and outdated good friend who gently steers him in direction of one other mind-set, is a pleasant contact. The veteran actor could be a little underlined, however right here he doesn’t put a foot mistaken. Slightly lady exhibits up, and he or she is, thank the lord, not cutesy.

There are some things that stick in your craw. Here comes Aziz, starting to be taught the ropes, and right here comes a primer: ‘boxing ek nasha hai; boxing mein six punches hotey hain’ and so forth and anon. Please, no. And then there are the songs. Too many songs, stuffed too shut within the second half. Also, giving a personality an excessive amount of time to spew bigotry earlier than he sees the sunshine is a tough enterprise; really, utilizing the time period ‘love jihad’ for Aziz and Ananya may nicely be the one factor true bigots might take away. And whereas it’s nice to have main males enjoying Muslim characters, I’m ready for a courageous Bollywood movie that may break free from the poor-but-talented slumboy (Ranveer Singh in ‘Gully Boy’) kind. Still, an Aziz-and-Ananya is a job nicely begun.

It is Farhan as ‘Toofaan-the-new-Muhammad-Ali’ who is totally convincing, each as a novice who’s a quick learner, and the dejected warhorse who comes up trumps. He’s labored with Mehra earlier than, in ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, and whereas he regarded each inch a runner, a number of false notes have been sure to creep in when you’re attempting to dramatize the lifetime of a beloved sports activities icon (I nonetheless haven’t forgotten my dropped jaw at Farhan’s Milkha cavorting with an Australian blonde).
As Toofaan, Farhan’s footwork is bang on, whether or not it’s within the stroppy romance with a woman far faraway from his station, the spectacular glistening-muscles-straining-in-training scenes, the skilful jousting, full with the spray of blood, rattled enamel and swollen eye, throughout the bouts. It is his sport, and he’s on high.