🚩 Well, I would like to appreciate the fact that biopics like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Mary Kom, Azhar are being made in Bollywood. Since, the industry has tried to stay clear of this genre through most of its existence. Also, the taste of the viewers are changing with the era.
🚩 Basically, Azhar was the scapegoat of a scandal that had involvement of many on the field and off the field. And the court did over-turn the ban but the whole process took so long that it became besides the point. A story untold.
Well, if you are already aware of the reasons why Azhar was proved innocent, this movie has nothing extraordinary to offer to u. "Azhar" is basically a window, displaying this nonchalant cricketer's journey from losing all the respect he has, to gaining it back. Also, some excerpts from his life like his marriage to his first wife Naureen, and the extra-marital affair with Sangita are being focused in this 131 minute long movie. Buh, this movie focuses on everything that made his life controversial, and not much on what made him memorable...
Like, the elegance of his batting, his eccentric fielding, his calm and composed nature, the popped collar. It is a sports film, sans the sport.
🚩 The initial disclaimers are several, filling the entire screen with phrases like, "imaginary film", "any kinda resemblance is mere coincidence", etc. Phew.
Also it went on to claim, that "It isn't a biopic."
What ?
Then why was Azharuddin present for most of the promotional events ?
Playing it safe ? Oh... we get that. 😋😉
🚩 Also, one more major setback of this movie is trying to dissemble the actual identity of the players, events or time by using just the first names making it a spiritless venture. Also it is, Azhar Mohammad and not Mohammad Azharuddin. Duh-ah ! 😓
🚩 After watching the movie, this question is bound to strike even a layperson: if indeed the cricket council (Ssshh ! Dont u dare say BCCI. 😝) had framed Azhar back then, what were its motivations? I wish some light was thrown on this particular thing.
🚩 There are two ways to make a biopic – you either position it like a docu-drama or take the populist route. Director Tony D'Souza opts for the latter, which is a clever move because Azharuddin was always a people's hero.
Away from the spotlight, the rich and the famous often deal with heartburn, heartbreak and humiliation to get to where they are and stay there. Mohammad Azharuddin's success and subsequent fall from grace were as public as it can get. Which is what was required.
🚩 A scene in the latter half of Azhar indicates the potential of Azharuddin's story. That marks one of the nicest scenes in the movie. Now hated by the fans who once adored him, Azhar is running out of platforms to interact with the public and press. He even goes ahead to inaugurate a gym and the so called owner behaves with him in a very unlikable manner, as if he owns his time. That scene is sureshot to make u cringe.
🚩 Music :- 'Oye-Oye' is a blant remake of the hit. The one's that stand out are 'Tu hi na jaane' & 'Bol do'.
🚩 Talking about the performances,
Azhar surely deserves A Watch.
➡Emraan hashmi is at his earnest best. He is one actor, who is famous for his kissing, than his awesome acting skills. He nails the walk and the charisma of the introvert cricketer, more important, gives the cricketer a certain vulnerability that is hard to resist even when all else around him in the film fails. The popped collar, the tabeez, his onfield mannerisms are adapted exactly as Azharuddin. Emraan gave his best to uplift an almost dead written script. His hard-work is worth watching.
➡Nargis's performance as Sangeeta (Again, Not Bijlani ) relies entirely on her hotness to tide over her awkward dialogue delivery and inability to handle serious emotions.
➡Prachi Desai too has played more or less the same character through her short career: a simple, innocent, pretty young thing. There's more to her character and her performance in this film though. Her Naureen is controlled, her heartbreak believable.
➡It also has Gautam Gulati (of bigboss fame) with his OTT acting. Buh that's okay coz mahn, he is hawt ! 🔥
➡In a small role as Azhar's Naanujaan, Kulbhushan Kharbanda is a loveable presence as always.
➡Lara Bhupathi and Kunal Roy Kapur play lawyers in courtroom scenes that are set in a mediocre manner. None of the courtroom scenes match the nearly perfect ones from JollyLLB. Some good moments between the Judge and Kunal saves the dreary writing of those scenes. The lack of content in most of their arguments, the fakeness of the set and Dutta's excessive makeup is a big flaw.
🚩 Azhar was presumably made because it had such a controversial figure at its centre, arising out of the fixing-matches-for-money controversy itself, which had such a deep-seated impact on the game. It isn't so well-executed, buh it surely deserves a watch.
🏁 Ratings - ❤❤❤
An extra heart for Emraan's dedication and hardwork. 💐
♠ - PRIZMI TRIPATHI - ♠
Wow ��
ReplyDelete