'Toofaan' review: Farhan Akhtar starrer is not just about boxing
What's the story
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's directorial, Toofaan, has been released today on Amazon Prime Video, and Farhan Akhtar is outstanding in it. The storyline revolves around the journey of Akhtar's character from a local goon Ajju Bhai to boxing champion Aziz Ali. Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal, Supriya Pathak, and Hussain Dalal also play pivotal roles in this 161-minute film. Read our review to know more.
Plot
What is the movie about?
The movie starts with Ali before a boxing match, and the next shot takes you to the beginning of his story. A local gangster, working for Jaffar Bhai, Ali shows interest in boxing after watching Muhammad Ali's videos; his doctor friend, Anannya Prabhu, inspires him to choose this path. Ali then meets his coach Nana Prabhu who names him Toofaan after his first win.
Story
A wrong decision ruins Ali's career
After Ali wins the state championship, Nana breaks all ties with Ali and Anannya after finding out about their relationship—which he terms as "Love Jihad." As the lovebirds try to build a new life, their religions make it difficult to rent an affordable flat in Mumbai. To earn big, Ali makes a wrong decision which bans the boxer from the sport for five years.
Performances
Akhtar's performance was outstanding, Thakur and Rawal were impressive too
The sports drama has several talented actors who gave stellar performances onscreen. Akhtar showed his versatility once again with his expressions, body movements, and dialogue delivery skills. Thakur's performance was effortless, while Rawal portrayed his character brilliantly as always. Dalal, who plays Ali's friend, deserves special mention—he reminded me of Circuit from Munnabhai M.B.B.S. Vijay Raaz and Darshan Kumar had cameos in the movie.
Drawback
Director Mehra's vision for 'Toofaan' didn't hit the right spot
Although all the actors were impressive in the film, the storyline was not extraordinary. We've all watched movies dealing with interfaith relationships, gangster turning good for a girl, boxing stories, and a faithful best friend. Mehra also brought in the Mumbai bomb blast and stampede incidents in his film, which makes Toofaan not just about the sport. He even made an appearance in it.
Information
A few scenes might remind you of 'Sultan' and 'Sooryavansham'
One might find some influences of other movies in Toofaan. Like in Sultan, Ali too gets in shape to fight again. Then, he trains as he did in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. And, Nana meeting his granddaughter reminds of Sooryavansham when Amitabh Bachchan meets his grandson.
Verdict
First half is fantastic, extra points for Akhtar's performance
Toofaan is a complete masala film filled with action, drama, romance, and nicely composed songs. However, until the second half of the movie, you may expect an interesting yet predictable ending, but the storyline fails to keep you hooked. The first half is fantastic though and Akhtar is brilliant in the film. He surely deserves extra points for his outstanding performance. Verdict: 3.5 stars