Love,
they
say,
makes
the
world
go
round.
In
this
case,
it
makes
a
puny
postmaster
combat
The
Great
Khali
in
an
akhada,
only
because
that's
the
precondition
to
win
the
hand
of
his
beloved.
Amusing,
isn't
it?
No
doubt,
the
thought
is
attention-grabbing,
but
by
the
time
you
reach
the
finale
and
watch
the
duel
(Rajpal
versus
Khali),
you're
already
exhausted
and
pooped.
First
and
foremost,
when
you
hear
a
title
like
Kushti,
you
expect
some
astounding
kushtis
in
the
narrative,
don't
you?
But
barring
a
duel
at
the
start
and
another
towards
the
climax,
the
story
focuses
on
the
one-sided
love
story
between
Rajpal
and
Nargis
(yawn
inducing),
the
enmity
between
Om
Puri
and
Sharat
Saxena
(cliched),
the
assorted
characters
in
the
village
(straight
out
of
Priyadarshan's
sets)
and
a
rival
postmaster
who
creates
chaos
in
Rajpal's
life
(boring).
Kushti
is
the
story
of
a
small
village
in
Northern
India
where
wrestling
is
a
popular
sport
and
an
important
wrestling
match
is
held
every
year.
Ever
year,
rivals
Avtar
Singh
(Sharat
Saxena)
and
Jiten
Singh
(Om
Puri)
try
to
beat
each
other
in
the
wrestling
match
and
gain
the
trusteeship
of
the
village.
Chander
(Rajpal
Yadav)
plays
the
role
of
a
village
simpleton
and
a
postmaster.
Avtar
Singh
has
a
daughter
named
Laadli
(Nargis),
with
whom
Chander
is
madly
in
love.
To
get
her
father's
approval
for
their
marriage,
he
was
to
first
prove
his
prowess
by
wrestling
with
the
seven-and-a-half
feet
tall
The
Great
Khali.
The
condition
set
by
Avtar
Singh
is
Chander
has
to
defeat
Khali
in
the
wrestling
match.
Kushti
has
a
watchable
start
and
a
fairly
exciting
duel
in
the
end,
but
the
(approx.)
1.40
hours
in
between
play
the
spoilsport.
The
love
story,
which
is
the
focal
point
of
Kushti,
is
non-happening
and
therefore,
the
chemistry
between
Rajpal
and
Nargis
is
non-existent.
T.K.
Rajeev
Kumar's
direction,
like
the
script,
offers
no
novelty
absolutely.
In
fact,
there's
hardly
anything
in
the
movie
to
hold
one's
interest.
Neither
does
the
love
story
work,
nor
do
the
light
moments
bring
a
smile
on
your
face.
Dialogues
[Manisha
Korde]
are
well-worded
at
places.
Rajpal
Yadav
is
getting
typecast
in
similar
roles.
Nargis
doesn't
get
scope.
Om
Puri
and
Sharat
Saxena
enact
their
parts
well.
Asrani
is
wasted.
Manoj
Joshi's
impersonation
of
a
popular
politician
is
an
eyesore.
The
Great
Khali
adds
star
value
to
the
film,
that's
it!
On
the
whole,
Kushti
is
a
poor
show.
Director
-
T
K
Rajeev
Kumar
Cast
-
Rajpal
Yadav,
Khali,
Nargis,
Sharat
Saxena,
Asrani,
Manoj
Joshi,
Om
Puri