Story
Aziz
Ali
aka
Ajju
(Farhan
Akhtar)
is
a
small-time
Dongri
ka
vasooli
bhai
who
engages
in
'phoda-phodi'
with
his
partner-in-crime
Munna
(Hussain
Dalal).
However,
he
prefers
to
call
it
'hifaazat
ka
kaam'
for
protection,
people,
warehouse
and
land.
One
such
brawl
lands
him
in
the
local
hospital
where
he
loses
his
heart
to
Dr
Ananya
Prabhu
(Mrunal
Thakur).
The
latter
asks
him
to
make
a
choice-
either
be
Ajju
bhai
or
Aziz
Ali,
the
boxer.
Determined
to
earn
respect
for
himself
in
eyes
of
Ananya
and
the
society,
Aziz
abandons
his
thug
life
and
approaches
the
fearsome
coach
Nana
Prabhu
(Paresh
Rawal)
in
order
to
become
'Boxing
ka
Bachchan'.
Unknown
to
Aziz,
Ananya
is
Nana's
daughter.
After
a
few
weeks
of
huff
puff
outside
the
boxing
ring,
Nana
finally
agrees
to
take
Aziz
under
his
wing.
As
expected,
Aziz
Ali
soon
becomes
'Toofaan'
with
his
lethal
punches.
But
like
every
underdog
story,
this
one
too
contains
a
conflict.
Will
the
disgraced
boxer
get
a
chance
to
redeem
himself?
Direction
Rakeysh
Omprakash
Mehra's
Toofaan
is
supposed
to
be
a
touching,
inspirational
story
of
an
underdog
who
beats
all
the
odds
to
achieve
his
dreams.
But
like
they
say,
'too
many
cooks
spoil
the
broth.'
Mehra
tries
to
explore
socio-political
themes
like
bigotry,
love
jihad,
housing
bias
due
to
religion
in
his
narrative,
but
his
social
commentary
lacks
a
powerful
voice.
Instead,
it
only
ends
up
diverting
your
attention
from
the
main
theme
of
the
film;
boxing.
A
little
more
focus
on
the
coach-protege
equation
and
the
boxing
part
would
have
prevented
Toofaan
from
spilling
all
over
the
place.
If
that
wasn't
enough,
the
filmmaker
falls
into
the
trap
of
cliches
like
fridging,
disapproving
fathers
and
a
vengeful
villain
which
makes
the
film
melodramatic.
Further,
in
a
few
places,
Toofaan
even
reminds
you
of
Salman
Khan's
Sultan
which
also
revolved
around
an
athlete
who
trades
his
passion
for
a
punch.
Writers
Anjum
Rajabali
and
Vijay
Maurya
fail
to
deliver
a
solid
punch
with
their
writing.
Performances
Farhan
Akhtar
has
an
easy
charm
as
Ajju,
the
ruffian
with
a
heart
of
gold.
Later,
when
the
actor
puts
on
his
boxing
glove
and
knocks
out
his
opponents
in
the
ring,
you
can't
stop
yourself
from
screaming
'Toofaan,
Toofaan.' The
actor
holds
your
attention
as
the
camera
flirts
with
his
sweat,
ripped
physique
and
hard-core
training
sessions.
Mrunal
Thakur
delivers
an
earnest
performance
as
Aziz's
supportive
companion
who
gives
him
a
morale
boost
whenever
life
hits
him
right
square
in
the
face.
However,
there's
a
scene
or
two,
where
the
actress
seems
to
be
a
little
off
the
hook.
Paresh
Rawal
as
the
stern
coach
throws
a
hook
with
his
superlative
performance.
Be
it
the
scene
in
which
his
rage
knows
no
bound
on
making
a
shocking
discovery
or
the
one
where
he
refuses
to
make
amends
with
his
estranged
daughter,
the
veteran
actor
stands
tall
and
strong.
Dr
Mohan
Agashe
and
Hussain
Dalal
are
effective
in
their
respective
roles.
On
the
flip
side,
seasoned
actors
like
Vijay
Raaz
and
Supriya
Pathak
Kapur
end
up
underutilized
in
the
film.
Technical
Aspects
Jay
Ozha's
camera
lens
elevate
the
film
by
capturing
the
blood,
punches
and
tension
in
the
boxing
scenes
in
a
superlative
manner.
With
a
run
time
of
over
2
hours
and
40
minutes,
your
patience
runs
thin
at
a
few
places
where
the
writing
stumbles
and
fumbles.
One
wished
Meghna
Sen
had
stepped
in
during
those
moments
and
gone
'chop-chop'
with
her
editing
scissors.
Music
Shankar
Ehsaan
Roy
fall
short
of
delivering
a
memorable
music
album
with
Toofaan.
Nevertheless,
there's
one
song,
D'Evil's
'Dekh
Toofaan
Aaya
Ha'
which
stands
out
in
the
crowd
and
gives
us
the
much-needed
adrenaline
rush.
The
rest
of
the
songs
are
passable.
Verdict
Twice
in
the
film,
Mrunal
Thakur's
character
Ananya
holds
up
two
fingers
and
asks
Aziz
(Farhan
Akhtar)
to
make
a
choice.
Similarly,
if
you
ask
us
if
Toofaan
is
worth
a
dekko
or
a
miss,
our
answer
would
be
only
if
you
are
ready
to
brave
this
storm
for
just
Farhan
Akhtar's
'todun
taak'
punches!