Ramakant Achrekar, O.M.Nambiar, G.S.Sandhu, Pullela Gopichand, Mahavir Singh Phogat, Guru Hanuman, Satpal Singh, Gaurav Khanna, etc. What do these names have in common? Take a wild guess. Rings a bell? Let us tell you. All these luminaries are proud recipients of the illustrious Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in sports and games in India.
Now, lets us draw your attention to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s upcoming sports film ‘Toofaan’ starring the talented actor-director Farhan Akhtar in the titular role. You might already be aware that the film primarily revolves around the story of a local goon who aspires to become a national-level boxer.
However, the focal point of this article is about the character of the ‘boxing coach’ who trains Farhan Akhtar in the film. This role has been essayed by veteran actor Paresh Rawal. It’s high time that the acting chops of phenomenal character actors like Paresh Rawal are finally given the recognition they deserve.
While it’s also equally important that Indian filmmakers make more films revolving around the lives of some of the above-mentioned legendary sports coaches and the trials and tribulations faced by them, which eventually made them the accomplished individuals they are. These films will certainly make for an enriching and entertaining cinematic experience for Indian viewers.
It’s not that Indian filmmakers have not done it before. Because we have seen some beautifully made real-life and reel-life films such as Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’, SRK’s ‘Chak De! India’, R.Madhavan’s ‘Saala Khadoos’, and Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Mukkabaaz’, etc.
All these sports films essentially revolved around the coach’s character instead of the sportsperson per se. But these films are few and far in between.
On the other hand, we have also seen films like Naseeruddin Shah’s ‘Iqbal’, Sushant Singh Rajput’s ‘Kai Po Che’ and Mehra’s directorial biographical drama ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ (also starring Farhan Akhtar as the Commonwealth champion Milkha Singh).
In all these films, although the central character was not the sports coach, nevertheless they signed up acclaimed actors for the coaches’ part as well. Unsurprisingly, the result was a distinctive film with a sublime blend of style and substance.
Although Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s upcoming film ‘Toofaan’ inclines towards the former category of films, nevertheless, the filmmaker evidently understood the importance of casting a great performer to essay the important role of the boxer’s coach in this film.
And Rawal’s extensive repertoire of work does not need any introduction. The point can be corroborated in one of Mehra’s recent interviews where he had stated that:
“Once the story was ready many names came up. The perception was having someone more athletic to essay the role of a boxing coach. But I felt very strongly that Paresh Rawal was my first and last choice provided the dates and logistics fell in place. I was absolutely thrilled to have him on board; he is one of the pillars of the film. Paresh sir was a masterclass in acting on set. Whenever he would perform in front of the camera, I would forget I’m the director and become a student of cinema just watching him and his approach.”
Bollywood is in dire need of more filmmakers, to replicate and carry forward Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s insightful vision, to escalate the trend previously set in motion vide the above-mentioned films like ‘Iqbal’ and ‘Kai Po Che’.
Because the filmmakers’ paramount ambition should essentially be – to deliver a downright entertaining film with credible performances. That can be done by taking the middle ground by enrolling actors of Rawal’s caliber.
Besides, more Indian filmmakers should come up with inventive ideas to make sports films from the point of view of the coach’s character. There is no dearth of subject matters here as India is a talent hub with an impressive checklist comprising umpteen illustrious yet undervalued Indian coaches, including but not limited to the ones we have mentioned in the opening paragraph.
Let’s see how ‘Toofaan’ portrays Paresh Rawal’s character of the boxing coach and whether it will be able to do justice to his towering talent. ‘Toofaan’ is scheduled to premiere on May 21, 2021, on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform.
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