Actor
Farhan
Akhtar
on
Wednesday
said
he
relished
playing
the
role
of
a
boxer
in
his
upcoming
film
Toofaan,
a
part
that
reminded
him
of
Aamir
Khan's
flamboyant
Munna,
a
film
ticket-seller
in
the
black
market
in
the
1995
hit
film
Rangeela.
Akhtar,
who
worked
with
Khan
in
his
directorial
debut
Dil
Chahta
Hai
20
years
ago,
said
he
always
wondered
how
fun
it
would
have
been
for
the
superstar
to
have
played
a
character
with
a
devil-may-care
attitude.
"I
loved
playing
Aziz
Ali,
this
let-your-hair-down
kind
of
part.
When
I
saw
Aamir
Khan
in
'Rangeela',
I
wondered
how
fun
it
must
have
been
for
him
to
play
a
character
that
can
say
whatever
he
feels
like.
There
is
a
carefree
attitude.
When
I
got
a
chance
to
do
this
film,
I
relished
it," Akhtar
said
in
a
virtual
press
conference
of
the
film,
slated
to
be
released
on
Amazon
Prime
Video
on
July
16.
Billed
as
an
inspirational
sports
drama
of
a
goon
called
Aziz
Ali
aka
Ajju
Bhai
from
the
streets
of
Dongri,
Toofaan
is
set
against
the
backdrop
of
boxing
and
charts
the
fall
and
triumphant
comeback
of
its
lead.
Shot
in
Nagpada,
a
neighbourhood
in
south
Mumbai,
the
film
is
directed
by
Rakeysh
Omprakash
Mehra,
and
penned
by
Anjum
Rajabali
and
Vijay
Maurya.
The
47-year-old
actor
credited
co-star
Hussain
Dalal,
who
is
from
Nagpada,
in
helping
him
get
into
the
skin
of
the
character.
"Hussain
is
from
the
area
where
we
shot.
He
knows
the
lingo,
body
language
and
those
people
inside
out.
Vijay
Maurya's
dialogues
also
added
to
the
enjoyable
experience."
Akhtar
also
thanked
the
people
of
Nagpada,
saying
"We
felt
so
welcome.
It
was
like
shooting
with
friends."
The
actor,
who
is
also
credited
as
producer
alongside
his
partner
Ritesh
Sidhwani
of
Excel
Entertainment,
said
the
film's
underlying
message
is:
There
is
no
point
in
judging
anyone.
"All
of
us,
at
some
point
in
our
life,
have
been
guilty
of
labelling
or
judging
somebody
based
on
certain
labels
that
come
attached
with
a
person.
Whether
it's
religion,
caste,
skin
colour,
social
demographic
or
level
of
education.
When
you
meet
somebody
and
you
tick
three-four
boxes,
it
gives
you
a
sense
that
'this
is
this
kind
of
a
person',
we
all
have
been
guilty
of
that.
This
film
challenges
that
notion
on
a
big
level,"
he
told
reporters.
"If
you
want
to
try
and
read
someone,
it
cannot
be
such
a
broad
opinion
based
on
a
generic
set
group.
It
is
important
to
take
the
time
to
understand
that
person
individually,
to
form
an
opinion
about
someone,"
he
added.
Toofaan
also
stars
Mrunal
Thakur
and
Paresh
Rawal.
Calling
Thakur's
character
"an
important
catalyst"
in
Aziz's
life,
Akhtar
said
it
is
important
for
people
to
have
the
right
support
system
and
structure
for
them
to
reach
their
true
potential.
"You
can
be
more
than
what
the
world
has
dealt
you.
You
can
use
your
skills
because
everybody
has
a
talent.
It
may
not
be
recognised,
be
untapped
or
may
go
unnoticed
for
your
entire
life...
"How
an
individual
can
reach
his/her
potential
and
breakthrough
barriers
of
stereotyping
by
finding
the
right
person
or
the
right
person
finding
you
who
believes
that
you
have
more
to
offer
than
what
you
have
been
given
as
your
circumstance,"
he
added.
Thakur,
who
plays
a
doctor
named
Ananya
in
the
film,
said
she
has
started
doing
MMA
(mixed
martial
arts)
after
working
on
Toofaan.
"I
feel
so
fit.
I
want
to
be
in
the
ring
and
fight.
Somebody
asked
me
'why
are
you
learning
all
of
this?
Is
there
a
'Toofaan
2' coming
up
next?'
I
said
'I
wish',
but
it
is
important
to
learn
at
least
one
sport.
The
film
made
me
a
better
person
altogether,"
she
added.
It
was
also
a
first
for
Rawal.
The
veteran
actor,
who
plays
coach
Nana
Prabhu
to
Akhtar's
Aziz,
said
he
has
never
done
a
role
like
this
where
he
had
to
be
so
much
physically
involved.
"I'm
someone
who
jogs
for
an
hour
or
so.
When
I
was
training
to
play
the
coach,
I
used
to
start
sweating
in
barely
5-10
mins.
I
thought
this
was
the
best
cardio
exercise.
All
this
training
helped
me
both
physically
and
in
my
preparation
for
the
role.
I
also
got
to
learn
something
new,"
he
said.
"Whatever
my
limited
experience
in
training
for
the
film,
I
had
a
lot
of
fun.
When
I
used
to
go
home
after
the
shoot,
I
would
tell
my
children
that
if
I
was
20-25
years
younger,
I
would
have
pursued
boxing
for
fitness,"
he
added.
All
in
all,
Toofaan
is
an
inspiring,
engaging
and
entertaining
film
that
is
much
more
than
a
sports
film,
said
Sidhwani.
"It
entertains
and
engages
you
with
boxing.
There
is
a
love
story
but
at
the
end
of
the
day,
it
leaves
you
with
a
thought
as
well.
It's
not
just
a
boxing
film.
It's
very
inspiring
for
people
out
there,"
the
producer
said.
Co-produced
by
Mehra's
ROMP
Pictures,
Toofaan
also
features
Supriya
Pathak
Kapur.