Soorma
FIRST
Review
:
Diljit
Dosanjh
SHINES
as
Sandeep
Singh
in
biopic
|
FilmiBeat
Rating:
2.5/5
Star
Cast:
Diljit
Dosanjh,
Taapsee
Pannu,
Angad
Bedi,
Danish
Husain,
Pitobash
Tripathy
Director:
Shaad
Ali
At
one
point
in
Soorma,
Taapsee
Pannu's
character
tells
Diljit
Dosanjh's
Sandeep
Singh,
"Life
mein
goal
hoga
na,
toh
yahan
bhi
ho
jayegaa".
If
you
had
to
ask
me
then
this
line
perfectly
sums
up
the
spirit
of
the
film.
With
biopics
back
in
vogue,
Shaad
Ali
derives
inspiration
for
his
outing
from
the
life
story
of
hockey
champion
Sandeep
Singh
who
made
headlines
for
his
miraculous
comeback
in
the
sport
after
facing
a
near-death
experience.
However
beneath
the
inspiring
story
of
sheer
determination
and
triumph
also
lies
a
tender
love
story.
Soorma
opens
in
Shahabad
in
the
year
1994
where
a
young
Sandeep
Singh
dreams
to
be
a
part
of
the
Indian
hockey
team.
However,
his
interest
soon
weans
off
when
his
unreasonably
strict
coach
rebukes
him.
Years
pass
by
and
the
carefree
lad
picks
up
the
hockey
stick
once
again
when
he
gets
smitten
with
another
player
Harpreet
(Taapsee
Pannu).
She
reignites
his
passion
for
the
game
and
he
soon
earns
the
moniker
of
'Flicker
Singh' for
his
drag-flicks.
However,
things
take
an
awry
turn
when
Sandeep
becomes
paralysed
waist-down
after
being
hit
by
an
accidental
gunshot
in
the
Shatabdi
Express
train
while
on
his
way
to
join
the
national
team
due
to
leave
for
the
World
Cup
in
Germany.
Harpreet
is
forced
to
make
a
hard
choice.
The
rest
of
the
plot
revolves
around
how
Sandeep
bounces
back
with
grit
and
determination
and
proves
that
he's
a
'Soorma'
in
life
as
well.
The
first
half
of
Soorma
is
built
up
of
moments
of
the
making
of
the
hero.
There's
a
generous
splash
of
light
moments
throughout
which
makes
for
an
engaging
narrative
with
some
frothy
romance
between
the
lead
pair.
However
post
interval,
the
tone
of
the
film
turns
intense
and
that's
where
dullness
sets
in.
Too
much
of
melodrama
makes
the
emotions
go
haywire
and
you
fall
short
of
feeling
for
the
characters
leaving
you
unsatiated
when
the
climax
finally
sets
in.
Shaad
Ali's
writing
too
wobbles
at
places
leaving
room
for
inconsistencies.
Speaking
about
performances,
Diljit
Dosanjh
is
the
heart
of
Soorma
and
owns
almost
every
frame
in
the
film.
His
understanding
of
the
depth
of
his
character
is
astonishing
which
clearly
shows
on
the
celluloid.
He
exudes
a
child-like
innocence,
at
the
same
time,
he
can
even
deliciously
relish
an
intense
scene.
Some
more
of
this
man,
please!
Taapsee
Pannu
impresses
yet
again
but,
a
little
more
fleshing
of
her
role
would
have
added
more
to
the
charm.
Angad
Bedi
is
top-notch
in
what's
expected
of
him.
Satish
Kaushik
leaves
a
mark
whereas,
Vijay
Raaz
makes
sure
you
never
have
a
dull
moment
whenever
he's
on-screen.
On
the
flip
side,
Shaad
Ali's
direction
and
writing
lack
the
cinematic
drama
which
is
needed
for
a
solid
subject
like
this.
While
Soorma
scores
high
on
extensive
research
and
impressive
performances,
it
falters
when
it
comes
to
keeping
you
on
the
edge
of
your
seats.
Those
looking
out
for
goosebumps-inducing
moments,
be
prepared
to
get
disappointed.
Chiratan
Das's
cinematography
works
fine.
But,
Farooq
Hundekar's
editing
scissors
should
have
been
a
tad
sharper.
Barring
the
Soorma
anthem,
none
of
the
songs
has
a
recall
value.
A
disappointing
musical
fare
by
Shankar
Ehsaan
Loy.
In
a
nutshell,
Soorma
has
its
heart
at
the
right
place
but
its
beats
are
heard
faintly.
Diljit
Dosanjh
hits
a
goal
with
his
brilliant
acting
masterstroke
but
ends
up
losing
the
match.
Blame
it
on
Shaad
Ali's
flaccid
direction
which
strikes
yet
again!
Sandeep
Singh's
story
of
the
triumph
of
human
spirit
needed
a
better
storyteller.
I
am
going
with
2.5
stars.