- Movie Name:Azhar movie review: Emraan Hashmi excels, the biopic fails
- Critics Rating: 2.5 / 5
- Release Date: May 13, 2016
- Director: Tony D'Souza
- Genre: Drama
Controversy is best recipe for a great drama. So, a story on Mohd Azharuddin, arguably one of India’s finest cricketers, could have been more engaging as compared to the lives of other non-controversial cricketing heroes like Sachin Tendulkar or M S Dhoni.
But it takes great courage from a film-maker to show both sides of the coin. Sadly, Azhar is not that film. At best, ‘Azhar’ can be described either as a PR exercise by the former skipper or a futile attempt to redeem his lost image owing to the most disgraceful event of his life.
The beginning of the film offers you a disclaimer that says Azhar is not a biopic and is partly fictional. However, it does not take too much effort to recognise that the film is based on the life of the fallen hero of Indian cricket.
Born into a Hyderabadi family, Azhar’s maternal grandfather (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) prophesises that he will be playing for India one day and will represent his team in atleast 100 test matches. The little boy was taught not to respond with words but to let his bat do all the talking.
The story further depicts his heydays in cricket - how he climbs the cricketing ladder with his sheer talent and becomes the team’s skipper quite early in his career.
However, his life takes an unfortunate turn after he meets M L Sharma, a bookie who allegedly offers him money to fix a match, which follows the murkiest scandal in international cricket.
The film’s story depiction, script and performances generally come across as drab. Azhar’s biggest drawback is its weak script; it was expected to put some light on India’s biggest fallen hero but director Tony D souza was too afraid to tread to that territory.
Moreover, if you plan to watch the film for a glimpse into the dressing room of the Indian cricket team, brace for further disappointment. Azhar does not reveal anything except the squirmishes of some former players.
Barring how Ravi (Shastri), Manoj (Prabhakar) and Navjot (Sidhu) were miffed when he was promoted as Indian skipper, or the Manoj-Azhar rivalry that was also in public domain, there is nothing new in there.
Besides, court room scenes (it seemed they were directly inspired by Azhar’s real trial which took 9 years) are achingly long and tiring.
Also, side characters are poorly developed; their presence did not add any value to the film. The unending arguments between lawyers Reddy (an unimpressive Kunal Roy Kapur) and Lara Dutta were totally disengaging. Kapur with his bad wig and fake Hyderabadi accent was a total miscast for this role.
Both of Azhar’s wives -- Naureen ( Prachi Desai) and Sangeeta ( Nargis Fakhri) -- have been reduced to stereotypes; the film tries too hard to depict them as the epitome of selflessness but fails to leave any impact.
Especially Fakhri’s portrayal of Sangeeta was a complete washout. As you watch her act in the film, it becomes more difficult to decide what is more plastic, her expression or her pout.
Hashmi excels as Azhar and is the only saving grace for the film. He brilliantly captures Azhar’s demeanors and his quirky mannerisms. Unfortunately though, the actor never lets go of his swagger, it will surely remind you of Jannat’s betting boy whose botch it up in the end.
Azhar may have been a fitting tribute to one of India's most successful captain and a great bastman but it's an opportunity lost.
