Movie to be released in Tamil and Hindi.
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With the exception of Shimit Amin’s “Chak De!“. Saala Khadoos is actually a love story, but there is enough boxing here for fans of the sport.
The biggest hurdle in her and her mentor’s way is the national women’s boxing head coach Dev Khatri (Zakir Hussain), a creepy official who will stop at nothing in throwing his weight around. The film’s predictability puts you off from it in the first half itself. SAALA KHADOOS delivers a solid punch. How she will meet her goal? how Prabhu trains her with his special techniques? will Madhi win the world women championship? will Prabhu able to succeed what he has challenged with his superiors? forms the rest of the story. The only difference that comes here it’s the sports, while other elements remain the same when we have sport politics doing all the rot in the film. Exiled to Chennai on a false sexual harassment charge, Adi finds himself coaching a bunch of listless boxers, including Lakshmi (Mumtaz Sorcar).
There he discovers Madhi (newcomer Ritika Singh), a foul-mouthed fisherwoman who, like him, is khadoos (a snob) but also has raw talents that matches Adi’s own. Since both the protagonists in the film are boxers, the fights go for the kill. But then again, the film keeps you engaged till the proud-India bout in the climax because of the convincing performances. While Nasar and Zakir Hussain are first rate, Mumtaz Sorcar and also the couple who play Ritika’s parents are extremely endearing and believable, which adds to the film’s narrative. His smart performance allows for greater depth and enhancement of those of his co-actors. What we miss badly are the scenes where we see Madhi going through grueling training sessions. The other technical elements like editing, screenplay and other things remained par to any good film in the B Town, which together helps in enhancing the entertainment value of the film. The film would have worked even as a rags-to-riches story about an unlikely champion.
Saala Khadoos Review: There is no dearth of drama in Saala Khadoos. Strong performances do not save this predictable film.
‘ Saala Khadoos’, directed by Sudha Kongara, is scheduled to release on Friday January 29.
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Saala Khadoos Review: Saala Khadoos addresses both the politicking that slows down Indian sport and the lack of opportunities that prevents champions from coming through ranks.
