Allegedly yours, AZHAR

If you would go all out on the Internet to find who Md. Azharuddin was, the words that describe him will prove that even Sachin Tendulkar can trail, at times

A brainchild of India’s unputdownable women entrepreneur Ekta Kapoor (of Balaji Telefilms), brought on the screen in association with Emraan Hashmi & Tony D’Souza,  the story of a cricketer with a Test career of ‘almost’, who finished with 99 Tests and a career best of 199.

    Md. Azharuddin, with Emraan Hashmi, promoting together, the movie Azhar!.

In Azharuddin, there was the characteristic swagger, even before the word #Swag popped in, that marked him out when he walked around the in-field, his collars raised. Tony D’Souza, who’s described on the web as an American novelist, has been given shoes too big to be filled. Yes, the absence of Milan Lutharia, the man behind Once Upon A Time & The Dirty Picture to count a few, was the one missed the most in the party, the could be celebration. No matter how much money you put in a party, the host matters the most.

Azhar, the short name for Md. Azharuddin, embeds a pun within itself. The plot is so thin, like so thin that even Nargis Fakhri felt insecure of. The uncountable meets made to the cricketer, precisely the Ex-cricketer, seemed to be a total time waste.

From the very 1st scene, till the climax, the movie is ONLY ABOUT THE MATCH-FIXING BAN. And if you just happened to think that Okay! That’s the only thing which matters! May I respectfully spoil it for you by revealing that in terms of revealing, you get none. None, like the number of scenes Nargis has got.

Emraan’s chemistry with Prachi brewed up much better than with Nargis.

Azhar is nothing but a mere disappointment. No, don’t cancel your plans already made, or to be made. It’s a let down because we expected something better, something unknown. We wanted more of the glamour, more of the wrist play (though we got enough of the wrist watches), more of Sangeeta, the Pain, the recovery, the elections, the after-ban trauma & most importantly, most from the silence he’s talked about. Sadly, you get nothing but again, the silence.

Nargis has been highly successful in becoming the low-budget Katrina of Bollywood. Though, a very slender skin show will affect the collection called from the single screen audience. 

Neither you get a spicy hot affair, nor a glamorous cricketing career. Neither the pain that sets in, nor the cheers that came after his leg glances. If after kisses, there is something remarkable about Emraan’s cinema, it’s the music. And sadly Azhar has ZERO chart-busters in its kitty.

When talked about the crew, Emraan is not so disheartening with those impeccable dialog delivery and attitude. Returning into his kissing forte, he pulls down a sensuous few. He deserves applaud because you won’t be able to fit anyone is his frame. Good, if not full, marks to him.

Emraan, just like the movie, is decent. He somehow will carry most of the collection, which was asked from the subject before.

Nargis Fakhri & Prachi Desai looked the gorgeous most they could. Wish they had more scenes to define the depth & dive into the layer of emotions, if any. But Lara Dutta, even with the deepest cleavage show possible, is a let-down.

Boooooooooooooooooooooo!!! 

Azhar is a good Bollywood entertainer that deserves a watch, but the worst if seen with any expectation. The could be Bhaag Milkha Bhaag ended up as just another entertainer. Watch it out for the brilliant screenplay, which was unseen in recent past. Rajat Arora, also the script writer, is both the savior & the satan for the movie.

John Woodcock, a noted cricket writer once said, “It’s no use asking an Englishman to bat like Mohammed Azharuddin. For, it would be like expecting a greyhound to win the London Derby!” 

Watch out for the entertainer called Azhar, allegedly & foolishly marketed as his biopic.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR : 

Ketan Sharma is marketer, avid reader, blogger & a future (enthusiast to be) Best Seller. He's a student of St. Xavier's College. A die-hard (jersey) fan of Manchester United & Barcelona, & internationally going loves Brazil (don't know why). Not a communist but will chose Russia over America (tho no one asks him to).