Azhar was a pleasant surprise. I went into the theater with absolutely no expectations. After some really disappointing movies in the last couple weeks, Azhar is a refreshing change. There is not doubt that Mohammed Azharuddin was the most graceful and stylish batsman of the 90s. Watching him at the crease flicking the ball over mid-on was awesome.
Azhar (2016)
Director: Tony D’Souza
Stars: Emraan hashmi, Prachi Desai, Nargis Fakhri
The movie Azhar begins with match fixing allegations against Azhar, and the subsequent inquiry. Cricket is a religion in India and cricket is a dangerous profession. Fans can make you a hero today and treat you like a villain tomorrow. But the movie is not all about cricket.
The movie artistically shows Azhar’s life as a kid and his motivation for playing cricket – his grandfather. Emraan Hashmi has played the character with ease, depicting the shy and demure personality of Azhar, who mostly stayed away from the cameras and the headlines. Prachi Desai shows similar ease in her role as Azhar’s frst wife, Noureen. Khulbushan Kharbanda plays his cameo effortlessly and etches the character in the audiences memory.
His personal life and professional turmoil are shown tastefully, with a touch of romance and a lot of subtle humor that the audience will appreciate.
Azhar was slapped by BCCI with a life ban from cricket. Anyone who has been robbed of his passion can understand the pain of not being able to do the one thing they love most. BCCI in India is an island of its own and has the ultimate monopoly over the game.
And BCCI’s ban on Azhar is another example of its dictatorial hold on the game. The movie is about Azhar’s fight to get rid of this illegal ban. A ban in which the BCCI was the lawyer, the jury, and the judge. Although Azhar’s involvement was never proved in court or by the independent CBI probe, BCCI went ahead with the ban.
I don’t know whether he did it or not. The movie doesn’t argue one way or the other. What it argues is that BCCI’s verdict was illegal. Azhar was the scapegoat of a scandal that had involvement of many on the field and off the field, sitting in the boxes.
But forget about the machinations of real life. Watching reel life Azhar is a delightful experience. The tight 2 hour running time gives the movie a fast moving story that you won’t be bored of. The movie has all the entertainment elements and also explores some important legal matters. In a way it highlights how our snail paced justice system doesn’t mean anything because by the time the ban was overturned, Azhar had lost crucial playing years of his life.
The movie is not without its flaws though. The attention to detail is quite poor and product placements are too blatant. The movie also goes into a lengthy flashback in the second half and you begin to wonder who the narrator is and whom is he talking to. But these small mishaps can be easily overlooked.
You can take whatever side you want, but do not miss the movie.
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