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Azhar

  • 2016
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 10m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
6.1K
YOUR RATING
Emraan Hashmi and Nargis Fakhri in Azhar (2016)
Biographical sports drama based on the life of former Indian international cricketer, Mohammad Azharuddin
Play trailer2:44
1 Video
23 Photos
BiographyDramaSport

Biographical sports drama based on the life of former Indian international cricketer, Mohammad AzharuddinBiographical sports drama based on the life of former Indian international cricketer, Mohammad AzharuddinBiographical sports drama based on the life of former Indian international cricketer, Mohammad Azharuddin

  • Director
    • Anthony D'Souza
  • Writers
    • Rajat Arora
    • Aditi Mediratta
  • Stars
    • Emraan Hashmi
    • Nargis Fakhri
    • Prachi Desai
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    6.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Anthony D'Souza
    • Writers
      • Rajat Arora
      • Aditi Mediratta
    • Stars
      • Emraan Hashmi
      • Nargis Fakhri
      • Prachi Desai
    • 38User reviews
    • 21Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Azhar (2016) Trailer
    Trailer 2:44
    Azhar (2016) Trailer

    Photos23

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    + 19
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    Top cast66

    Edit
    Emraan Hashmi
    Emraan Hashmi
    • Mohammad Azharuddin
    Nargis Fakhri
    Nargis Fakhri
    • Sangeeta Bijlani
    Prachi Desai
    Prachi Desai
    • Naureen
    Lara Dutta
    Lara Dutta
    • Meera Verma
    Kunaal Roy Kapur
    Kunaal Roy Kapur
    • Reddy
    Gautam Gulati
    Gautam Gulati
    • Ravi
    Sammy Jonas Heaney
    Sammy Jonas Heaney
    • Kid no.4
    • (as a different name)
    Shweta Kawatra
    Shweta Kawatra
    • News editor
    Mohit Chhabra
    • Sachin
    Anikie Maguire
    • Racecourse Spectator
    Kulbhushan Kharbanda
    Kulbhushan Kharbanda
    • Nanujaan
    Rajesh Sharma
    Rajesh Sharma
    • M.K Sharma
    Hemant Choudhary
    Hemant Choudhary
    • Ad film director
    • (as Hemant Chaudhary)
    Shernaz Patel
    Shernaz Patel
    • Azhar's Mom
    Virendra Saxena
    Virendra Saxena
    • Azhar's Dad
    • (as a different name)
    Nausheen Ahmed
    • Reporter 1
    Saunvedan Aparanti
    • Anirudh
    Claire Ashton
    Claire Ashton
    • VIP Party Guest
    • Director
      • Anthony D'Souza
    • Writers
      • Rajat Arora
      • Aditi Mediratta
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews38

    5.76.1K
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    Featured reviews

    7SAMTHEBESTEST

    Certainly a 1 time for many reasons, after long time a good Film from Balaji

    AZHAR REVIEW :- One of the most awaited film of Emran Hashmi's career from its trailer release to today. When i saw the Trailer of Azhar that time only, i decided to watch this film on First Day First Show. Reasons are known, Emran was looking promising after a long period plus i was interested in knowing our Cricketer Azharuddin's controversial life. Finally watched the Film and i am completely satisfied with this product, it completed all my expectations which were not high.

    Acting- Excellent job by Emran Hashmi. I haven't seen his some acting oriented movies so i cant decide but still i say it is his Best Performance i've ever seen. His walking Style, Batting style, Dialogue delivery everything was perfect. Not award winning though, but still Kudos for him. Prachi Desai, Nargis Fakhri and Lara Dutta failed to match Emran. They didn't have much screen space, may be that was the reason but really their Make up talks louder than their Acting. Other star cast was strictly okay.

    Music :- Certainly, not up to the mark. Songs just come and go. Nothing to remember. Same with Background Music.

    Cinematography :- Worse. Really some scenes looks like daily soaps, especially Cricket match scenes. Disappointing field for the film.

    Screenplay :- Good but not great. Good because of 130 minutes run time, and not great because editing could have been better. Many scenes and especially songs deserves cut. 2-3 loo breaks are there but still Film doesn't make you feel bore.

    Dialogues :- Superb ! Clap worthy, whistle worthy and touching. I don't want to spoil much cause it will affect the impact of those dialogues.

    Direction :- First of all i want to praise Tony D'Souza for daring to make controversial film like this and want to thank him for revealing some truths about Azharuddin. Direction is very good, surpassed my expectations. Tony crafted film very well, especially Interval and Climax scene.

    Final Words :- Overall a good movie which deserved your one time watch for many reasons. We love you 'Fighter Azharuddin' forever. Thanks to Balaji Production for making this film so that we realise some unknown facts about our Azhar. Go for it, and don't watch it as a movie watch it as Azhar's real life story, movies like this comes very rarely. 7/10 stars by me.
    4kumarvarun1989

    A fascinating character but a dispassionate film

    Azhar lacks spine. It is evident in the long disclaimer preceding the film in which the team seems to be making a claim on cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin's colourful and controversial life as a source material yet maintaining that it is a fictional account. All to escape the legal battles the film could land them in.

    Azharuddin (Emraan) is a fascinating character to have built a dispassionate film on. A man, who rose meteorically because of his game, the way he let his bat do all the talking on the field. He fell from favour just as fast because of his covetousness and his alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal that rocked cricket. He is a man of frailties and shortcomings both on the field of cricket and in the arena of love. But instead of exploring the many shades of grey in him, Tony D'Souza attempts to defend and validate him. Such is the bias that the other players — Manoj, Ravi, Navjot (only first names, no surnames mind you) — get the wrong end of the stick.

    Manoj is made to come across not just as jealous and vengeful but selfish, playing for himself than the country and crude and unrefined to boot. Ravi is nothing but a rake. As though that wasn't enough you have Kapil tell Azhar It's the good-for-nothing kids who trouble the class monitor the most. Poor Azhar! Such is the eagerness to justify him that D'Souza makes it seem as though the whole bad world is out to get him. From his haughty fan-turned-prosecutor Mira (Lara Dutta) to the condescending owner of the gym that he inaugurates. Why he took the Rs. 2 crore from bookie M.K. Sharma and what he did with the money is portrayed in such a way as to earn him some desperate brownie points. Even his walking away from an ostensibly fine marriage into the arms of actress Sangeeta Bijlani (Nargis) is turned into a soppy inevitability with him righteously mouthing lines like A broken relationships doesn't actually mean an end of it. But what of Naureen (Prachi), the one who was wronged? When it comes to the craft, the film looks too outmoded in the way it has been mounted — the loud background score soaring over everything else and dialoguebaazi in the name of conversations.

    The lines, some of them utterly inane and vacuous, reminded me of heavy duty dialogues of Once Upon A Time In Mumbai. In that masala flick they seemed entertaining, here desperately out of place.

    Azharuddin's love for his grandfather becomes a way to draw out melodrama; he gets selected in the national team just as granddad breathed his last. And then there is Azhar's father's obsession with his underwear: the mandatory crass comedy track.

    In the name of acting you have Emraan being stiff, staring deep into the camera, looking far from his comfortable self. Prachi and Nargis weep buckets when they are not being coy. Nargis does it most inelegantly. If that wasn't all there is also Kunaal Roy Kapur as Azhar's lawyer. As yet another stereotype of the South Indian in Bollywood, he irritates to the hilt. So does the film.
    5ketgup83

    "Azhar" is a golden opportunity gone wasted

    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.
    3chhabrarohit

    movie is on the life of Azhar

    Now Bollywood made a movie with the mixture of sport and drama. Before seen the movie i read writer got inspired from the Azhar's life so this will be the good movie. But its not like that, the movie is quite simple and the dialogue delivery is not that level. Now a days the standard of Bollywood is so high . Emran Hashmi act Azhar role and he has done great job. In the movie writer tried to show how India board committee slaps a life ban on Azhar. This movie tells the story of Azhar how much he suffered. As i told story is quite simple but writer shown to the society about the Azhar.At least now people knows about Azhar. Media is the great medium to give the knowledge to society. I want to thanks writer,producer who told the story of Azhar by movie.
    1narulagaurav

    Comedy or Propaganda?

    Azhar the Movie, like Azhar the Kaalpanik/ Fictional Character mentioned in a disclaimer (at the beginning of the movie) - both of them lack spine.

    This movie is a sad attempt to justify a character who was poor as a husband, as a person and as a father. Quite frankly, and as several of the other reviews on IMDb are mentioning, this is a clear case of propaganda that the actual Azhar is trying to indulge in.

    The famous match fixing scandal of the 90s dragged in some big players, both in SA and in India. The legal cases against them were substantiated, and these individuals were subsequently banned from the game for varying periods of time. Are we questioning the calibre of the courts when we try to show these folks, several years later, as upright? Seems kind of 'easy to portray, but difficult to believe'.

    Azhar was first and always a cheat. In the game, in his marriage, in his relationships with his children (the famous affair with Jwala Gutta, who was his son's friend), and otherwise. Following the debacle in cricket, he went where most goons go - to politics. No guesses into the affiliation he sought and achieved.

    Now coming to the movie. The acting is unconvincing. The plot is poor. Great actors wasted. Dialogues are juvenile, at the best. Melodrama misplaced. The characters are shallow. The direction a guffaw.

    As a final statement, I'd like to say that there was no research. This is just the case of a cheat who is trying to show the world he was victimized, when it was actually the reverse. The scenes seem purported from La La Land.

    1 star out of 10 is what this deserves.

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    Biography
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    Drama
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    Sport

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      This is Emraan Hashmi's third movie concerned with cricket.
    • Soundtracks
      Bol Do Na Zara
      lyrics by Rashmi Singh and Virag Mishra

      performed by Armaan Malik

      Music by: Amaal Mallik

      Arranged & Produced by: Meghdeep Bose

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    FAQ15

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • May 13, 2016 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • India
    • Languages
      • Hindi
      • Urdu
    • Filming locations
      • Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood, Westminster, Greater London, England, UK(Lord's Cricket Ground)
    • Production companies
      • Balaji Motion Pictures
      • Indo-UK Film Company
      • Jhakaas
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • ₹380,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $147,521
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 10m(130 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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