Paan Singh Tomar review
Paan Singh Tomar - Movie Review - Irrfan Khan, Mahie
Paan Singh Tomar - Movie Review - Irrfan Khan, Mahie
| Sonia Chopra | |
Chambal - a region oneinstantly associates with dacoits and old Bollywood baddies. Circa 1950: Ourcentral character Paan Singh Tomar comes from there, and is in the army. Whenhis superior asks him if his relatives are dacoits, he answers "daku nahin,baaghi [rebel] hai," also adding with an unflinching pride that the policewas never able to catch them. But Paan Singh has nointentions of roaming the jungles with a gun. He is focused on just one thing -eating.  When rudely asked tocut back on his lunch, Paan Singh decides to switch to the sports departmentfor the no-limit food ration. That he runs like the wind is an added advantage.His officers are spell-bound by the spectacle of him winning a race. It is almostnever without drama.How then does thisgold-medallist sportsperson turn into a feared dacoit forms the rest of thestory. Was it an inevitable path for Tomar who considered a race a war, and canthis dreaded dacoit really take the sport out of him? Irrfan Khan alonemakes it worth seeing the film several times over. Imposing, intense andvulnerable at once, you feel for this character and root for him despite hismurderous ways. The film angers you at the system that won’t respect a nationalchampion; that puts a gun in the hand that once showed off a trophy. Actors playing theperipheral characters give masterful performances. As the nervous journalist,Brijendra Kala is a class act. Mahie Gill is dependably superb. And Tigmanshu Dhulia(Haasil, Shagird, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster) remains one of the most underrateddirectors in the industry. He blends in the stark tale with bits of delicioushumour surprising the viewer ever so often. One can tell that Dhulia's talentis just biding its time, with huge success waiting just around the corner. | |
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