India is in love with sports and that love often translates to the big screen as well. The latest movie to be added to the long list of sports films in Bollywood is this week’s release, Gold. The Reema Kagti directorial, is a period drama and stars, Akshay Kumar in the lead role. The movie is set amidst the pre and post-Independence period and tells the story about India winning its first Gold medal in Olympics. While it is about India’s first win, the story is fictional and is doused with the right amount of drama to keep you hooked to the film and evoke the patriotic feeling.
The basic premise of the movie is based on dreams or rather many people sharing one dream – to bring home a Gold medal and the screenplay highlights that multiple throughout its runtime. At the center of this dream is Tapan Das, the manager of Pre-Independence India’s hockey team who is determined to keep the promise he made once India is freed from the British rule. He isn’t the ideal leader, he gets drunk, falls into a debt and his solutions sometimes involve scheming others into getting something done. But he does so without malicious intent and when it comes to making the country proud he is ready to do everything in his power. Akshay has done a great job with the honest portrayal of his eccentric character. The only thing that could have helped make it a stronger performance is a stronger Bengali accent which slips-off a few times.
Coming to the other performances, Mouni Roy‘s character of a sweet, nagging yet supportive Bengali wife is pretty convincing. Not to mention, the former TV actress looks gorgeous on the big screen too. The other notable performance in the film is that of another debutant, Sunny Kaushal (who happens to be Vicky Kaushal‘s brother). From his character’s storyline to the honesty in his performance, everything makes you feel for his character and root for him till the end. Sunny is impressive in the film which makes him stand out in the ensemble cast and I can’t wait to watch more of him in Bollywood.
The movie touches upon the British Rule, India-Pakistan’s separation, the ritos, the World War and how all of it affects sports. The hard-hitting scenes definitely give you goosebumps. The movie gives you quite a few of these moments touching the right chords with the audience. Even though the pace of the film seems slow at times, the on-field sequences keep your eyes glued to the screen. The main sequence especially, as the players become one team and win that GOLD for India.
The movie has all the right elements to make this a good Independence week watch. And if you’re a sports enthusiast, then this film should definitely be a part of your weekend plans.