Toofaan is the second collaboration between Farhan Akhtar and director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra after Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. The film also stars Mrunal Thakur and Paresh Rawal in lead roles.
Toofaan begins with a brash, gutsy Aziz (Farhan), thrashing fellow goons of his area. He is an orphan who has been brought up by a local gangster. After the brawl, he lands in a local charity hospital where he meets Dr Ananya (Mrunal Thakur). Aziz discovers boxing during a visit to a local gym and immediately gets hooked on to legendary boxer Muhammad Ali's videos.
The boxing bug has bitten Aziz but he needs to find the right coach. Enter Nana Prabhu (Paresh Rawal), Mumbai's best coach who is also a Hanuman bhakt and a staunch Hindu. At first, Nana dismisses Aziz, thinking of him as a troublemaker, but soon changes his mind after seeing his dedication. Under Nana's guidance, Aziz quickly climbs the ladder and reaches the nationals but love gets in his way. What follows is an untoward incident that changes Aziz's life forever.
Toofaan begins on a promising note but soon turns incoherent and scattered. Writers Anjum Rajabali and Vijay Maurya try to cover too many topics in this 2-hour-47-minute-long flick. Apart from being a sports drama, Toofaan comments on the Hindu-Muslim debate and inter-faith relationship. But, those scenes are so forced that they derail the whole film and leave a bad taste. Toofaan also has a song for every mood, almost six of them, which sure adds to the length of the film, but little else.
There is no method to this madness. The makers add multiple elements but don't stay loyal to their characters and their primary topic - boxing. They don't spend time exploring these characters and hence the audience doesn't form a bond with them. We see Aziz sweating it out in the ring but there is no talk on his technique of becoming a good boxer. The film's dialogues are drab too and fail to stir any kind of emotions.
Toofaan is somewhat redeemed by its commendable actors. Paresh Rawal stays true to his character of a stern, stubborn coach Nana Prabhu. Mrunal Thakur is watchable as an honest doctor and a supportive partner.
But the one person who carries the whole film on his shoulders is Farhan Akhtar (also one of the producers). Farhan is the force behind this Toofaan. It won't be an exaggeration to say that Toofaan is a one-man show. From nailing boxing sequences to being vulnerable during emotional scenes, Farhan stands firm through the entire film. Like for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, for Toofaan, too Farhan pushes the boundaries and worked hard to get the body of an athlete and it seems to have paid off. He looks effortless on the screen as a boxer. But Farhan's efforts deserved better.
You can watch Toofaan on Amazon Prime Video.
2.5 out of 5
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