R Madhavan & the film star newcomer - boxer Ritika Singh
Underdog-to-champion is an all-too familiar sporting film. You know, when you see a fiery girl jousting with her potential coach, that she will come up trumps. The really good films stuff the script with freshness:
‘Saala Khadoos hereinafter refer as’The Movie’ seals the possibility of surprises. Everything is by-the-numbers, and you can pretty much predict what’s going to happen next. That’s what stops the film from rising above the ordinary, despite the fresh faces of the two girls who have leading parts, as well as the more experienced, bulked-up turn from R Madhavan.
Hero Adi Tomar is a foul-tempered headstrong character who has fallen afoul of the guy who calls the shots in national women’s boxing in New Delhi, an oily, corrupt fellow who preys upon young female hopefuls. The girl discovers on a punishment posting down South, Heroine Ritika Singh is an aggressive spitfire: she helps eke out for her family’s meager earnings by selling fish, is her older sister Mumtaz Sorcar support, and is not above throwing a few efficient jabs and punches when she gets riled.
The setting is somewhere in Chennai(South India). The faces are local and match the milieu. The man-on-the-spot, rapping the on-the-spot boxing body is played by Nasser, who is relaxed and fits in well. The grizzled old-timer who watches back in the national capital is done, who shows, effortlessly, how less is more.
Newbie Heroine. She is full tilt at all times, screwing up her face, her body, anger coursing through her veins, never letting up: after a while, you want to tell her to slow it down, to breathe, the part’s not going anywhere. She does manage it in a few places, and it’s in those instances that her smile lights up the proceedings. R Madhavan too is revved up much more than is needed, managing to break through in a couple of quiet moments.
The fact that it is about women in a sporting arena– heck, that it is a sports film– should be a thing to celebrate, and you can see that effort has gone into creating authenticity while training-and-fighting-in-the-ring, but ‘Movie’ is far too literally realized to be a really strong film.
It is such a wonderful engaging movie. There was no nonsense. Heroine is so wonderful that she caught us with her smile, simplicity and energy. R Madhavan has done a commendable job. No idiotic duets or stripping heroines or a jobless hero going behind the girl or mega serial emotions no junk It is a pure Movie Sporting Film.
Must Watch.