Rating: 6/10
Director Tony D’Souza fails to take advantage of the sixes or even some fours that he could have scored with this film, which tries to let the audience decide whether former Indian national cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin was guilty of match-fixing or not.
In 2000, the world was rocked by the greatest crisis ever in international cricket when South African captain Hansie Cronje confessed to being involved in match-fixing and implicated several other top international players, including Azharuddin.
Rather strangely, there are lengthy disclaimers at the star of the film declaring it to be a work of fiction, but the story and the names used in the film, though surnames are avoided at all times; are exactly of the people in Azharuddin life – his first wife, played by Prachi Desai; Sangeeta (Bijlani),the Bollywood starlet by whom he was smitten enough to take as a second wife (played by Narghis Fakhri); and even his team mates at the time.
Emraan Hashmi tries hard to play Azhar, reflecting the emotional turmoil within the player about his professional and personal life. He breaks away from his usual lover boy image, although his ‘serial kisser’ tag remains intact when he smacks a smooch on Nargis.
Khulbushan Karbhanda as Azhar’s grandfather and motivational guide put in reasonable performances, while Lara Dutta’s role as a doggedly determined London-based lawyer trying to get Azharuddin convicted in an Indian court in an eight-year legal battle is not fully explained. Azhar is a mishmash tottering between a biopic, courtroom drama, and family social drama.
