NO MAN SHOW
By Satyajit - Eye TV India Bureau
Critic's I-view
Blood splattering boxing bouts, heart warming emotions, whimper for true love and a fighting boxer! No this is no "Rocky" nor is he "Ali"; he is our very own local boy "Aryan" in the boxing ring. Sports oriented films are a rare breed in the tinsel town and there are just handfuls of them that have managed to swim against the tide. It's difficult genre to attempt and requires great sense of perseverance, skill and tenacity. The film was touted as one man's undying struggle towards his ambition but carrying the burden of never ending predictable melodrama. Unfortunately, the motivation for this die-hard ambition stems out from his shattered happy family dreams
Aryan's biggest asset is his will and strength for all non- cricketing sportsmen to rise above mediocrity and fight for supremacy in their respective arena. In this cricket loving country, sports like boxing never reach zenith nor does it produce champions of international standard. It could have been ground-breaking success if the treatment and scripting had authenticated the theme but it was lost in glossy sheen of discos and tear jerking emotional melodrama. The other plus point of the film is to project growing drug abuse in the present day sporting world but poor characterization makes it dim and shoddy.
It's a noble idea to make sports based films but nothing has been glorified on sportsmanship, displayed sports or its technique. The director was busy in alluring urban audiences through flashy and glossy disco tracks with couple of melodious numbers. The last half hour provides welcome relief as the film gets back on its track but the first half is downer
Abhishek Kapoor (nephew of Jeetendra) shifts territory from acting to direction and makes first blood on the silver screen with this film. He started off unimpressively in least heard 'Uff Yeh Mohaabat' followed by a couple of B-grade releases. He deserves appreciation for being bold and to some extent innovative but shows signs of naivety in his story narration. The characterizations are weak and semi-baked; screenplay shows signs of predictability, acting department is simply average but the film's strength lies in boxing action sequences and musical soundtracks (big surprise!).
By Satyajit - Eye TV India Bureau
Critic's I-view
Blood splattering boxing bouts, heart warming emotions, whimper for true love and a fighting boxer! No this is no "Rocky" nor is he "Ali"; he is our very own local boy "Aryan" in the boxing ring. Sports oriented films are a rare breed in the tinsel town and there are just handfuls of them that have managed to swim against the tide. It's difficult genre to attempt and requires great sense of perseverance, skill and tenacity. The film was touted as one man's undying struggle towards his ambition but carrying the burden of never ending predictable melodrama. Unfortunately, the motivation for this die-hard ambition stems out from his shattered happy family dreams
Aryan's biggest asset is his will and strength for all non- cricketing sportsmen to rise above mediocrity and fight for supremacy in their respective arena. In this cricket loving country, sports like boxing never reach zenith nor does it produce champions of international standard. It could have been ground-breaking success if the treatment and scripting had authenticated the theme but it was lost in glossy sheen of discos and tear jerking emotional melodrama. The other plus point of the film is to project growing drug abuse in the present day sporting world but poor characterization makes it dim and shoddy.
It's a noble idea to make sports based films but nothing has been glorified on sportsmanship, displayed sports or its technique. The director was busy in alluring urban audiences through flashy and glossy disco tracks with couple of melodious numbers. The last half hour provides welcome relief as the film gets back on its track but the first half is downer
Abhishek Kapoor (nephew of Jeetendra) shifts territory from acting to direction and makes first blood on the silver screen with this film. He started off unimpressively in least heard 'Uff Yeh Mohaabat' followed by a couple of B-grade releases. He deserves appreciation for being bold and to some extent innovative but shows signs of naivety in his story narration. The characterizations are weak and semi-baked; screenplay shows signs of predictability, acting department is simply average but the film's strength lies in boxing action sequences and musical soundtracks (big surprise!).
Hollywood evergreen blockbuster 'Rocky' happens to be an inspirational lift for this action packed thriller. In 80's there were films made on a similar theme but were rejected by audiences. Mithun Chakraborty showed nerves of steel in 'Boxer' followed by he-man Dharmendra's action packed revenge saga 'Main Intequam Loonga'. Thereafter the concept never materialized and the "killer instinct" in sports field never got any stronghold in the film industry. Hollywood still holds love and interest in such films as in 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'Ali'.
Now, the scenario shifts to 'Aryan -Unbreakable', the much delayed film with a sub-standard face value and melodious music clubbed with unwanted controversy. The film entered into trouble waters when "Viva" girl Neha Bhasin turned hostile on filmmakers on the soundtrack "Ek Look Ek Look".
Sohail Khan plays the tough and determined character of "Aryan" but the toughness is under wrap in the veils of adolescent love. It finally blows out when the marital bliss proves a disaster and his lady love turns tougher to make him a fighter. Sneha Ullal makes second big presence on screen as his love interest and comes out in more matured attire than her debut performance
'Aryan' triggers off in boxing arena where Aryan (Sohail Khan) is coached by strict disciplinarian boxing coach Ranveer Singh (Puneet Issar). Neha (Sneha Ullal), cherubic and lovable girl, is Aryan's love interest. Ranjit Singh (Inder Kumar) joins the boxing club and befriends Aryan and others. Neha has over-possessive mother (Supriya Karnik) who wants her to marry a rich green card holder. On the contrary, she has the support of extra caring and loving father (Satish Shah), who helps her in all walks of her life. Neha is head over heels in love with Aryan but her mother resents this relationship. Ranveer Singh also shows his disgust over this relationship and wants Aryan to concentrate on boxing. The story takes turn as Neha gets pregnant. Aryan's life hangs between his boxing career and marriage promise to Neha. Aryan chooses his lady love Neha over his passion for boxing.
