Toofan Review: Farhan Akhtar Is Unbeatable In A No Frills Story Of Second Chances And The Reformative Power Of Love
Most sports films centered around a lead protagonist usually go by a very standard template. They begin with the discovery of interest in a particular sport, then the journey of becoming a champion through hard work, then a conflict that brings about a downfall, and finally a phoenix moment where the underdog beats all odds to win. When I saw the trailer of Toofan, I was convinced that it would too. And yet, knowing how Farhan Akhtar’s brilliant performance and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s direction made Bhaag Milkha Bhaag a runaway hit, I let myself have faith in what Toofan would bring. But much unlike its name, Toofan isn’t a storm of a film that is going to blow your mind, or comes loaded with so much emotion and adrenaline that every other dialogue is a punch. Nor is it focussing too much on boxing. No, Toofan is a simple, no-frills film about the reformative power of faith and love, and second chances. The film also stars Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal, Hussain Dalal, Mohan Agashe, Supriya Pathak, Gauri Phulka, Darshan Kumar and Vijay Raaz.
The story idea of Toofan comes from Farhan Akhtar, the man who wears many hats in his film career. The story and screenplay is written by Anjum Rajabali, with additional screenplay and dialogues by Vijay Maurya. The cinematography is by Jay Oza, editing by Meghna Manchanda Sen and the original score is by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and Tubby. Toofan is produced by Excel Entertainment and ROMP.
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Toofan is the story of Aziz Ali aka Ajju Bhai (Farhan Akhtar), an orphan from Mumbai’s Dongri area, who along with his friend (Hussain Dalal) works as the muscle for a local gangster (Vijay Raaz) who found him as a baby and raised him in the life. When he is discovers boxing for the first time, he becomes obsessed with Muhammad Ali and the nature of the sport, which though violent, carries an element of respect for the opponent once the match is over. Ajju begins training alongside his usual work. However, he meets Ananya (Mrunal Thakur), a doctor at a local government hospital, who encourages him to channel his strength into becoming a professional boxer, and earn some fame and respect, instead of remaining a street fighter all his life. Motivated, Ajju even impresses the best coach in the business, Nana Prabhu (Paresh Rawal), who trains him despite initial misgivings about his background.
However, an incident alters Ajju’s boxing career drastically, right when he is about to get to the top. The film is about Ajju’s second chance and how Ananya’s love and faith in him, that reformed him once before, makes him strong and persevere to reclaim his passion and lost dignity.
Toofan follows the sports film template but is surprisingly no-frills and mellow
Toofan is a film about a boxer’s rise and fall in the boxing ring and then a subsequent rise again. It might instantly make you think of a number of sports films, particularly Sultan, because of the character trajectory and second chance being the overarching theme of the film. In fact, in that one scene we see in the trailer, where a shirtless Ajju looks at his unfit body and slight paunch, is very much reminiscent of a similar scene from Sultan with Salman Khan.
That being said, Toofan surprised me with just how much it didn’t care for the usual embellishments you’d find in most Bollywood sports films. There are training montages aren’t too long-drawn; they’re limited and kept succinct, and watching Farhan in beast mode is so easy on the eyes. What is also remarkably absent is any unnecessary display of emotion or melodrama during the matches or during peak emotional moments in the film. Wether it is an emotional moment between Ananya and Ajju, or a heated exchange of words between Ajju and his coach Nana, or overcoming of any roadblocks in Ajju’s way, everything is resolved quickly, and without testing the patience or mocking the intelligence of the audience.
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I’ve always believed that it is not about using or not using genre tropes, but about how you use them to tell an impactful and relevant story, that matters. And in Toofan, you can see that. The story is simple and straightforward, so is the script and dialogue, and yet, the emotional journey doesn’t feel any less. When the final moments arrive, the exhilaration is felt alright. But it really did surprise me that all of this came even when there weren’t a gazillion rounds of boxing matches shown, or elaborate subterfuge planned, or slow-motion drama playing out. Maybe we just missed some old school notions fo hope and faith!
The dialogues are not to punchy (pun intended), but effective in that they keep the conversation simple and real. I particularly loved the “izzat ka matlab malum hai?” exchange between Nana Prabhu and Ajju! The music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy complements the film well, though at times I did think that silences would’ve been better instead of song accompaniment. The title track by Siddharth Mahadevan is quite the charger, and I also liked the two rap songs by D’Evil and Dub Sharma that we see during the film and when the credits roll.
Then again, Toofan isn’t just about boxing.
If you’ve come to get your mind blown, or watch some story of an underdog’s extraordinary triumph against all odds, Toofan isn’t it. It’s more a story about the reformative powers of love and passion, and second chances. And that’s where I think Mrunal Thakur’s character Ananya, comes across as a shade different than other ‘supporting girlfriend/wife’ characters. She shows a directionless man, Ajju, that he has a choice to be someone better. And when someone has that kind of faith and support in you, it’s a whole different power flowing through you.
What I liked though is that Ananya doesn’t uproot her life and give up her passion to help him pursue his. Though I am not a huge fan of how her story ends, because that was one of the few tropes the film couldn’t subvert, which admittedly let me down. But I do appreciate that she wasn’t some manic pixie dream girl who had a singular goal to save the lost boy from destruction.
Another theme that runs through the film is that of religion. And if you’ve been following social media trends, you would’ve come across the boycott trends on Twitter, claiming that the film promotes Love Jihad, since Farhan’s character is a Muslim while Mrunal’s character is a Hindu. And get ready for the controversy to get blown up even more once the film releases, because once again, Toofan surprised me with how boldly and explicitly it addressed the religious discord and resultant untrustworthiness in our society right now. And how it can come in the way of not just simple, every day joys but also a family’s lifetime of happiness and individual success.
And finally, a beautiful message of second chances and forgiveness shines through the film, suggesting that life is short, and forgive yourself or forgiving others, and embracing what you truly love will always ensure that you don’t have any regrets later on.
Also Read: ‘Never Have I Ever’ Season 2 Review: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan Is A Goddamn Star In A Richer, Funnier, More Emotional Follow-Up
Farhan Akhtar is unbeatable as Ajju
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My God, is there anything this man can’t do? Umm, actually, apart from the Mumbaiyya tapori talk, which I think he sounded a tad awkward in (maybe because I’m just too used to him talking in splendid Hindi poetry or English), Farhan Akhtar can actually do everything and do it real good. He carries the film on those buff shoulders like a boss, particularly during the boxing sequences.
Mrunal Thakur plays her part well as Ananya, though I totally think Supriya Pathak was wasted in her role as the good-natured nurse at the hospital who helps Ananya and Ajju out. I wouldn’t have imagined Paresh Rawal as a boxing coach, but I really enjoyed his scenes full of banter with Farhan (Todun tak!) and the camaraderie with Mohan Agashe who plays his best friend in the film. Speaking of friends, Hussain Dalal should’ve gotten something more to do because he’s such a natural. Meanwhile, Vijay Raaz is a man of few words in the film, but his presence is easily, and expectedly, scene-stealing.
Verdict
Despite a 2 hour 40 minute runtime, Toofan is a simple, straightforward film that showcases the journey of a man who made the choice to fight his upbringing and be better. He stumbled and faltered, a lot of it because of circumstances that he couldn’t do much about, but he got through and made the most of his second chance, thanks to the love and faith of people who believed in him. Farhan Akhtar shines as Ajju as he takes you through some old-school Bollywood underdog story minus the melodrama that I don’t know about you, but I kinda missed. The film leaves you with hope, and that, plus an unbeatable Farhan Akhtar, are good enough reasons to watch this film with your family.
Toofan is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
