Biopics are gaining popularity in Indian Cinema as it tells the true incident of a person or event portrayed on the silver screen. With Dirty Picture, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Manjhi-The Mountain Man following the trend, it is thoroughly inspiring and motivating. Will "Azhar" lives up to the reputation and gives you hard-hitting drama with realistic views on life ? Well, let us check it out
"Azhar" tells the untold story of legendary cricket Mohammaed Azharuddin (played by Emraan Hashmi) who was center of controversy due to one incident which changed his life.
It takes nerve of steel to make biography of a famous personality who took 16 years of his life to fight for justice. First time film maker Tony D Souza does gives a sincere attempt but it too far from making any impact. The film talks about the cricket which is considered as the most famous game in India but matches shown in the film lacks the excitement. Tony D Souza only shows the brighter side of legendary cricketer but when a biography is being made, true introspection of a person's life should be depicted which include the grey areas as well. This is clearly missing in the film. The content of the film and even the characters have not been defined. The real-life drama has been tweaked into reel world with extra spices. The screenplay in the first half is pretty smooth but falls down in the later half. Art direction is good. Cinematography is excellent. Music is tuneful. Dialogues are too corny.
Being fan of Azharuddin, I was expecting Emraan Hashmi to deep-dive into the character. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The actor tries hard but falls flat on the face. Still his performance is sincere compared to his previous films. Other actors like Lara Dutta and Kunal Roy Kapur gives a good performance. Prachi Desai does well in small role while Nargis Fakhri disappoints.
Overall, "Azhar" is a golden opportunity gone wasted.
