Directed
by
Tigmanshu
Dhulia,
Paan
Singh
Tomar
showcases
the
sad
plight
of
the
unsung
sportsmen
in
India.
The
director
uses
the
famous
athlete
named
Paan
Singh
Tomar
as
an
example.
Irrfan
Khan
plays
the
lead
role
of
in
the
film,
whereas
Mahi
Gill
essays
the
role
of
the
wife
of
the
protagonist.
Director
Tigmanshu
manages
to
keep
the
audiences'
interest
intact
with
many
nail
biting
scenes.
Paan
Singh
Tomar
draws
inspiration
from
Shekhar
Kapur's
Bandit
Queen,
which
is
also
a
biopic
on
Phoolan
Devi.
A
plot
like
this
is
likely
to
turn
monotonous
after
a
certain
time.
However,
Tigmanshu
has
made
a
serious
endeavour
to
grab
your
attention
by
focussing
on
the
reason
behind
why
Paan
Singh
decides
to
become
a
dacoit.
In
fact,
the
motive
is
so
compelling
that
you
begin
to
relate
to
the
character
essayed
by
Irrfan
Khan.
There
are
few
light
moments
too
that
makes
you
smile.
The
scene
in
which
Paan
Singh
sends
his
children
out
of
the
house
to
buy
lemon
juices
so
that
he
could
spend
some
time
alone
with
his
wife,
essayed
by
Mahie
Gill
is
nice.
Dialogues
(Rajendra
Gupta),
editing
(Aarti
Bajaj),
cinematography
(Aseem
Mishra)
and
screenplay
is
excellent.
In
fact,
dialogues
are
so
good
that
it
help
build
the
plot,
which
is
quite
rare
in
Bollywood
movies.
Though
you
may
leave
the
theatre
with
a
heavy
heart,
you
can
be
satisfied
that
you
watched
a
meaningful
film
that
came
straight
from
the
heart!
Story
The
story
of
Paan
Singh
Tomar
is
set
in
Chambal
and
revolves
around
the
life
of
a
brilliant
athlete
named
Paan
Singh
Tomar
(Irrfan
Khan),
who
brings
a
lot
of
fame
to
the
country
by
winning
steeplechase,
a
form
of
race,
at
the
Indian
National
Games
consecutively
for
seven
years.
However,
after
his
retirement,
he
is
forced
to
go
to
Chambal
where
he
pursues
farming.
A
series
of
events
and
happenings
in
his
life
makes
him
take
up
the
gun
and
become
a
dacoit.
Performances
Paan
Singh
Tomar
would
not
have
worked
out
if
not
for
the
outstanding
performance
of
Irrfan
Khan.
It
is
obvious
that
Irrfan
has
trained
himself
to
justify
the
role
that
he
did.
Irrfan
is
'perfect' in
every
way
and
not
once
does
he
falter
in
his
portrayal
of
the
character.
Mahie
Gill
is
brilliant
and
has
given
a
wonderful
performance,
and
so
has
Vipin
Sharma
and
Rajendra
Gupta.
All
other
actors
have
delivered
a
good
performance.
Overall,
Paan
Singh
Tomar
is
a
must
watch
movie!
Directed
By:
Tigmanshu
Dhulia
Cast:
Irrfan
Khan,
Mahie
Gill,
Vipin
Sharma,
Imran
Hasnee,
Nawazuddin
Siddiqui
Story first published: Tuesday, March 6, 2012, 10:40 [IST]