Did Farhan Akhtar’s “Toofan” Live up to the Hype?

July 28, 2021July 28, 2021 Aalokbarsha Bose Bollywood, Entertainment, movie review, toofan

Quite often when we think of a movie that is based on a male main character and his dedication towards a particular sport- we tend to generalize and conclude that it must be a biopic. Something similar happened to many viewers when they first watched the trailer of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s new movie ‘Toofan’ which was aired on Amazon Prime Video recently.

Toofan Movie Review

The somewhat predictable but yet interesting plot revolves around Aziz Ali, an orphaned Dongri gangster – played by Farhan Akhtar, who delivered a phenomenal performance, moreover so, with his intense body transformation for the time lapses shown in the movie.

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The completely fictional story cascades down from a certain fight situation in a shop- where Aziz is seen beating other goons up with the help of his friend- Munna, played by Hussain Dalal. Soon, we understand that both Aziz and Munna work for gangster Jaffer (Vijay Raaz). While getting medical help from a charity hospital nearby, he comes across Ananya Prabhu, portrayed by the talented and beautiful actress Mrunal Thakur – a young, considerate, and kind doctor who treats his injuries thereafter.

This leads to a friendship between the two opposites- Ananya inspires Aziz to put his strength and interests to use and back it up with correct guidance and hard work so that he can live his dream of becoming a professional boxer and compete in state championships.

This route leads to coach Narayan Prabhu (Paresh Rawal), who recognizes Aziz’s skill in the ring despite his barely hidden hatred for him due to his beliefs. Nonetheless, he transforms the aimless hunk in front of him into a match-winning champion.

The cinematography of the movie is quite commendable- as an audience that has been consuming content regularly online in the past one and half years of the Covid-19 pandemic surge, it does not disappoint you or lose your interest. Jay Oza has outdone himself and has brought us yet another similar Indian slum area lifestyle that gives us a clearer picture of where the main character comes from.

Produced by Farhan Akhtar himself along with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Kassim Jagmagia, Saurabh Khandelwal, Ritesh Sidhwani, Darrell Foster, Prashant Shah, and Stuti Ramachandra. Edited by Meghna Manchanda Sen- the movie holds a lot of promise.

The two-hour forty minutes movie plays on the significant themes of dedication, hard work, and sports and the strength of it to bring people together. However, the movie also portrays the romance between a heterosexual couple who are from two different religions- Hinduism and Islam.

It focuses on the struggles that interfaith couples have to deal with from society for simply loving another human being. It also highlights the much-debated topic of bigotry – and how many people, even to date, are not accepting towards their children marrying someone from another caste or religion. ‘Toofan’ is based on a narrative concept by Farhan Akhtar and a screenplay by Anjum Rajabali.

Paresh Rawal serves us another one of his stellar performances- the depth of his character is very honestly presented before the viewers- on one hand, he is a protective father and renowned hardworking boxing coach, whereas on the other hand- he is also an excessively headstrong individual with conservative beliefs. However, the highlight of his character can be seen at the end, when he changes his mindset upon coming across his grandchild and bonding with her.

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In a way, the movie gives us a spark of hope for the conservatives in the society who have forgotten humanity and have chosen to live lives that disrupt the happiness of others- they can change too when surrounded by a positive liberal environment.

Toofan’s flaw is that it doesn’t add enough depth to a barebones plot to warrant its lengthy 162-minute runtime, which has been adorned with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music in certain sequences- making the film an entertaining all-rounded one.

The film, set in Mumbai, uses the locale to reintroduce viewers to ‘Gully Boy’ dialogue writer Vijay Maurya’s great ear for the city’s distinctive lingo. Smaller but significant roles are played by Supriya Pathak, Darshan Kumaar, and Mohan Agashe, as they help the movie come to life.

In conclusion, we can state that the movie claims to re-tell the old tale of ‘some battles are meant to be lost and some are meant to be fought’, Aziz’s power in pushing through and winning boxing championships were battles meant to be fought by him and the loss of loved ones in his life, was a battle that was meant to be lost.

So, this was an in-depth Toofan Movie review. I believe that you should definitely give this movie a try as I am sure it’s not going to disappoint you at all. Don’t forget to share your reviews in the comments section below. Stay connected with BuzzArenas for more such movie reviews.