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Saturday, April 20, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD VICTORY
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: ***
First things first. This isn`t a film
about cricket. Not entirely. It`s also about life, dreams, ambitions and
nightmares and how the individual gets progressively sucked into self-seeking
opportunism while chasing those elusive dreams.
"Victory" takes a leaf out of all the inspirational tales on sports
and sportspersons that you`ve seen or not seen, from "Chariots Of
Fire" to "Chak De! India", and turns it into a flourishing tree
of thoughts, ideas and visuals suggesting a deep link between hopes and
compromises.
The rags-to-riches and shame-to-glory tale is nothing new. The redemptive
narrative takes us into a territory that we have probably charted umpteen times.
What sets debutant director Ajitpal Mangat`s rugged but emotional film apart is
the discernible love that it exudes for the sentiments of the masses.
This is the story of the middle-class for the middle-class. While retaining a
core of commercialism in creating Vijay Shekhawat`s portrait of a ordinary man`s
extraordinary dream, Mangat manages to introduce a certain amount of finesse and
polish to the product that makes this inspirational story a cut above the rut.
The cricket sequences, which serve as signposts in the protagonist`s plunge into
the world of wondrous influences, are the highlights of the film. Shot with a
self-assured panache in stadiums across the world with internationally-known
cricketers, the film`s credibility level rises automatically when we see the
expertise on the playing field.
No doubt the director loves the game. But he also loves movies about the games
that life plays with people. Undoubtedly the director is a cricket fan. It shows
in almost every shot that he so diligently shoots with cameras that don`t prowl
on the field. They search for the most special moments in that intimate
relationship that forms on the field between the batsman and the bowler. When
capturing cricket, the narrative spins a nail-biting montage of sporty suspense.
Cinematographer Vikas Shivraman is thoroughly clued into director Mangat`s
mindset both on and off the field. Together they create a world that captures
the protagonist`s innerscape without reducing the locations to incidental props.
For Harman, this film is as redemptive and as glorious a comeback as it is for
the character he plays. Hitting sixers and scoring zeroes on the field, or
sharing moments with his screen dad, played by Anupam Kher, or the sweet,
supportive girlfriend (Amrita Rao) - "Victory" showcases Harman`s
filmy skills.
Indeed "Victory" is a far more accomplished film than it at first
seems. It`s easy to say we`ve seen all of this before. But the sweetest songs
are always those that are sung to a familiar tune in exciting unpredictable
voices.
"Victory" does just that. It works as a sports film. It works as a
film about the cascading dreams of a wannabe who should have learnt to run
before deciding to fly. And it works as a vehicle to spotlight Harman`s
dexterity in front of the camera.
In brief, this one works.
In India, cricket is much more than just a game; it is a passion, an obsession, a religion!
Millions of youngsters, in all the corners of the country, dream of playing for India! A dream which incredbly only ONE in every 100 million realizes.
VICTORY is the story of a father, Ram Shekhawat, who saw such an
impossible draem for his son! This is also the HEROIC story of his son Vijay
Shekhawat.
Hailing from the small town of Jaisalmer, Vijay Shekhwat becomes India`s
latest world- class batting sensation and is catapulted to superstardom!
But it is the glamour and the glitter of this very demi-god status that makes the young, vulnerable small town boy Vijay stay from his true vocation of cricket. Unfortunately this leads to a loss of focus and to a miserable drop in his performance. But by the time Vijay realizes the error of his ways, it is too late and he find himself thrown out of the Indian cricket team because of disciplinary reasons. Suddenly the hero of the cricket crazy India becomes a villain to everyone`s eyes. His father Ram Shekhwat`s dreams are shattered and suffers a paralytic stroke.
This tragedy awakens Vijay`s conscience and sense of honor. He wants to redeem himself in the eyes of his father and every Indian. Against great odds, he once again makes it back to the Indian team and gets to play in the finals of the Champion`s trophy against Australia where he plays a stellar role in enabling India to win the trophy against Australia where he plays a stellar role in enabling India to win the trophy. Where in the emotionally moving final, in spite of being hospitalized mid-innings because of an injury, Vijay returns to bat, risking permanent injury, when India are nine down, to pull off an impossible victory against the world champion, Ricky Ponting`s Australia.
In this match Vijay Shekhawat fulfils his father`s dreams and enters the pantheon of Indian cricket.
If `GOAL` was the definitive soccer film, and `BULLBURHAM the definitive baseball film then VICTORY will be definitive cricket film.
