Farhan Akhtar starrer ‘Toofaan’ is currently streaming on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform. The film has been directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and the actor-director duo had created magic in their earlier cinematic venture ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’.
Although ‘Toofaan’ has been receiving a mixed response, the film has its strengths and weaknesses. We also noticed that some parts of the film were somewhat reminiscent of some popular Hollywood films. We have compiled for our readers, such instances from the film which reminded us of its Hollywood boxing counterparts.
Coach’s strategy against Darshan Kumar’s boxing match (Cinderella Man)
In Toofaan’s match against Darshan Kumar, during the round break, Farhan Akhtar’s coach Paresh Rawal tips the boxer to intentionally stand up during the round break. The same tip was given in Ron Howard’s boxing film ‘Cinderella Man’ where Russel Crowe’s coach played by Paul Giamatti advised the aging boxer to stand during the round break in order to confuse his younger opponent. Although the scene was well executed in ‘Toofaan’, it might have been noticed by audiences who have already seen ‘Cinderella Man’.
‘Facing the fear’ scene (Rocky III)
In a scene from ‘Toofaan’, the boxer’s wife (Mrunal Thakur) asks the boxer about his fears. The scene evoked delightful memories of the intense Apollo Creed and Rocky’s beach training sequence in ‘Rocky III’ when Rocky’s wife Adrian goes to him, and Stallone’s character expresses his fears about facing his toughest opponent Clubber Lang. But again, although the scene is somewhat similar, the storylines of both these are disparate.
From illegal money collector to a professional boxer (Rocky I)
Toofaan’s character was shown to be a loan collector for a criminal albeit a good-hearted one. In the first ‘Rocky’ film, Sylvester Stallone’s titular character also worked as a debt collector for a loan shark in the slums of Philadelphia (instead of Dongri in Toofaan). Both characters ‘Rocky’ and ‘Toofaan’ are portrayed as kind-hearted persons in their respective films.
Training montage sequences (Rocky films)
‘Toofaan’ boasts of not one, but two training sequences – the second one being more intense and emotionally charged for certain valid reasons. It is known to all movie buffs that Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Rocky’ films have become synonymous with the boxing training montage sequences that were present in those films. The makers of ‘Toofaan’ have nicely incorporated the training scenes into the film. But one question cannot be ignored: Would the training montage in ‘Toofaan’ have been the same if there were no ‘Rocky’ films?
Toofaan’s gaze on the audience to find his wife (Southpaw)
In the climactic scene of the film, just before the end of the final bout, Toofaan looks at the audience and is pleasantly surprised to find his wife in attendance. The scene obliquely brought back beautiful memories of another fine boxing movie ‘Southpaw’ starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams in the lead roles. Although the characters’ motivations are different in both these films, the well-performed scene in ‘Toofaan’ struck the right emotional chords with the audience.