Actor-filmmaker-singer Farhan Akhtar is gearing up for his next release, Toofaan. The multi-talented star teamed up with his Bhaag Milkha Bhaag director, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, after eight years for the movie. Co-featuring Mrunal Thakur, Toofaan tells the story of a boxer and the struggles he faces on his journey to get to the national level competition. Paresh Rawal and Supriya Pathak Kapur also play pivotal roles in the movie.
Subhash K Jha lists five things that he looks forward to in Toofaan:
1. Farhan Akhtar as the boxer Aziz Ali, aka Ajju Bhai surrenders completely to the role. Initially, his body language is that of a street-smart tapori. Then as he reveals his pugilistic impulses the body language is more measured and more indrawn. This is definitely the best performance by an Indian actor as a boxer comparable with R Madhavan in Sala Khadoos.
2. All eyes are on the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra-Farhan Akhtar pair. Their last collaboration Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was also a sports drama. It broke records in its genre. Will Toofaan whip up a storm at the boxoffice? We will never know, as it’s premiering on the digital platform.
3. Farhan Akhtar was last seen in Shonali Bose’s The Sky Is Pink, as a father trying to come to terms with his daughter’s impending death. The character was as far removed from Toofaan as cinematically possible. While Farhan’s character in The Sky Is Pink suffered from urban restraint here as the rustic boxer he gets a chance to let himself go.The emotions are never pent-up here. He vomits it all out.
4. Mrunal Thakur’s as the boxer-hero’s Significant Other will surprise you. She has an identity beyond being the hero’s romantic interest. She is a professional and she supports her man, but doesn’t fawn over him. Nor sit at the dining table waiting for him to come home.
5. The boxing sequences do not fake it. They do not use special effects to show fake blood spraying across the screen in slow-mo. We can see Farhan really taking the blow. The pain is real. ‘Wince’ beaten twice shy.
Toofaan will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on July 16.
Image source: IMDb