The progress of Toofan is written on the body of its pugilist hero: light on its feet in the early triumphant phase, heavy in the middle, ...
The progress of Toofan is written on the body of its pugilist hero: light on its feet in the early triumphant phase, heavy in the middle, sluggish during the drudge years but sprightly again after the demons have been chased away.
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s boxing drama traces the ascent of Mumbai hoodlum Aziz Ali from the pits to the top of the heap. Aziz (Farhan Akhtar) and his buddy Munna (Hussain Dalal) are enforcers for Dongri gangster Jaffer (Vijay Raaz). A chance encounter with sparky doctor Ananya (Mrunal Thakur) sets Aziz on the straight and narrow.
That path leads to coach Narayan Prabhu (Paresh Rawal), who, despite his barely concealed contempt for Aziz on account of his faith, spots Aziz’s talent in the ring. Dongri or Dubai, it’s all the same, Narayan sneers. But he nevertheless sculpts the directionless hunk before him into a match-winning champion.
The setbacks suffered by every screen boxer in the history of screen boxing drive mentor and mentee apart. Toofan – the title refers to Narayan’s nickname for Aziz – is faithful to the cliches of this kind of movie. But it’s saved from being a storm in a teacup by a well-mounted production, committed performances and likable characters.
A regulation boxing film, if...
