Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal, Mohan Agashe, Supriya Pathak Kapoor, Vijay Raaz, Darshan Kumaar

Rating: ** and a half

Jasmine Singh

What do you do when you are better than astrologers in predicting, and here, I mean predicting the end of a film? Do you still want to go through the entire length of the film still? Well, for this week’s release, Toofan, I’d still sit through it. For various reasons of course!

First, the film is directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who has entered in the sports arena for the second time. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and now Toofan. Second, the film offers a great star cast composed of Farhan Akhtar, Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal, Mohan Agashe, Supriya Pathak Kapoor. Lastly, I like to see my predictions come through!

With Toofan, do not expect the storyline to be any different from other sports-based films where either a protagonist first struggles to get into a sport, quits, mostly due to family reasons, and then makes a comeback towards the end and also wins the match, whether it is boxing, wrestling, cricket...

So, in this sense director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra hasn’t played around with anything different. In fact to make matters cumbersome, he has cluttered the story with too many narratives. Islamophobia being the main one.

The dialogues of this film are fresh and I must say inspiring at many places. Toofan is marred by several songs. The film, which takes off at the right pace, dips and nearly stagnates towards the third half.

Toofan boasts of a battery of fabulous performers. Starting Farhan Akhtar, who delivers bang on punches. Whether it is about his on screen body transformation as per the role, or his dialogue delivery or his controlled emotional outrages, everything hits the bull’s eye.

It is refreshing to see Mrunal Thakur, who plays the quintessential lady love who starts this ‘entire Toofan’ spreading smiles and radiance. When it comes to Paresh Rawal, you are confused, is he acting or speaking his mind on screen because he sounds and looks so real in his character.

Mohan Agashe, Supriya Pathak Kapoor, Vijay Raaz, Darshan Kumaar have small yet neatly etched out roles, and they play their roles with conviction.

Toofan starts off with hard blowing punches but could not sustain the same force and movement till the end.