Lahore Movie Reviews

Long after you have left the theatre, you take home the excitement, tension and the goodwill message from the final Goodwill Tournament held in Lahore, just months after a tragedy involving players between the two nations in the tournament in Kuala Lumpur. LAHORE mixes politics with sport, passion with a fierce pride to win - at all costs, and a single-minded focus to annihilate the opponent. It's a sports film you would not want to miss.

A title like LAHORE gives you the feeling that it's an Indo-Pak story. The fact is, it is, but it's about kick-boxing, a sport that hasn't been presented on celluloid before, at least on the Hindi screen. Cricket, boxing, hockey and football have found their way on the Hindi screen, but kick-boxing, not to my knowledge. Sure, there are references to the precarious Indo-Pak relations in a few sequences, but let's get one thing clear. This is not a 'war film'.

So, the film has been reportedly banned in Pakistan? Do they have reason to do so? The truth is, Lahore may begin on a note that showcases the Pakistani sportsman (kickboxer, Mukesh Rishi and his coach, Sabyasachi Chakraborty) in a dubious light and has the young Pakistani sports psychologist (Shraddha Das) apologising to our Indian hero on behalf of her entire nation, but it ends on a strong pacifist note and perfectly fits

It’s not a rags-to-riches story of an iconic hero. Nor is it a tell-it-as-you-see-it story of life in the ring. It’s a story about sibling bonding, cross-border rivalry, politics in sport, love, loss and a quest for vengeance. You’ve seen a lot of it before. But the setting is new for a Bollywood film, a kickboxing arena.

Combining sports and politics is not an easy thing to do. But then it's not that difficult either considering the two are inextricably intertwined specially in the Asian sub-continent where Pakistani cricketers are forbidden from participating in Indian sports events and Indians don't get visas to visit across the border. Debutant director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan dares to visit the forbidden territory. Lahore is about sports and politics and characters from both the spheres getting embroiled in a terrible fight to finish.

With a perfectly predictable plotline, if a film still keeps you riveted through its runtime, you know there’s something earnestly right about it. Lahore has a right director. Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan has the finesse to package the standard story with the requisite action and intensity that a sports film demands. The chronicle is conventional to the core within the boxing parameters, employing the rise-of-the-underdog conflict like

What holds your attention in the end are the gripping kickboxing scenes that are filmed so effectively, you literally find yourself transported to the centre of the action. The performances are appropriately restrained -- particularly Farooque Shaikh as the Hyderabadi-accented coach, and Sushant Singh as the ill-fated professional kickboxer -- but the film fails to leave a lasting impression because it doesn't say anything that you haven't already heard before.

Distributed by Warner Bros, the film, which garnered favourable response at several film festivals, at a running time of a little above two hours is mostly watchable for its exhilarating action in the ring if not exactly an emotionally stirring experience. Reminiscent of Anil Sharma's Apne and its philosophy of one brother's quest to retrieve the other one's stolen glory by tackling a foul player, Lahore, furthermore, mixes the essence of patriotism through the medium of sport, in this case kick-boxing, with the sentimentality of retribution.

Aanaahad’s muscles ripple and his kicks seem fatal. But he speaks like a toddler and looks like he is made of stone. Is well suited for B-grade martial arts movies. Shraddha Das looks ugly despite the lovely lace dupattas. I felt bad for Kelly Dorji and his wobbly midriff. But he redeems himself by fighting with a dislocated shoulder. Nirmal Pandey, despite this probably being his last film, has one dialogue. Nafisa Ali is oh-so-elegant and yet completely lacking in acting skills. Farouque Sheikh is great, as usual, but his Hyderabadi Hindi, picked up from where Mehmood left it, dips and rises. A shame, really.

Star cast: Aanaahad, Shraddha Das, Sushant Singh, Shraddha Nigam, Farooque Shaikh, Sabyasachi Chakraborty. Plot: T...