Victory is yet another sports film (post Lagaan, Chakde , Goal, Iqbaal etc), this time choosing cricket as the backdrop. As the opening credit of the film rightly acknowledge “Cricket is not a game, its passion, obsession and way of life in India “, director Ajitpal Mangat sure had an interesting and dependable theme for his film. And the director has put forward an honest effort in his directorial debut.
Victory is the story of Vijay Shekhawat (Harman Baweja) and his father Ram Shekhawat (Anupam Kher). Ram has great aspirations for his son Vijay, whom he wants to see in the Indian Cricket team; one day. His dream eventually comes true after some usual drama shama when Vijay finally gets into Indian team. However, this happiness is short-lived as Vijay after a stunning debut in International cricket soon loses his place in the team, as well as the respect he has earned, when he lets his new-found fame get the better of him. The villain behind the debacle being his manager (Gulshan Grover). Vijay soon discovers how quickly the media and the public can change the fortune of a man (from hero to zero). Unable to bear the shock and humiliation, Vijay’s father suffers a stroke. The rest of the film is about how Vijay redeems himself in the eyes of his family and his fans by regaining his lost spot in the Indian team, and then leading it to a splendid victory in the airtel champions trophy final (a bit too dramatic).
As far as the performances are concerned, Harman has definitely come of age and has put up a sincere effort. Most importantly, he has has stopped imitating hrithik. Amrita Rao has been type casted as the girl next door. Anupam Kher and Dilip Tahil (The Indian team coach) are average. The film is the biggest film set against the backdrop of cricket in Bollywood with as many as 40 international cricketers registering their presence.
Some of the downs of the film are
• The storyline is too predictable
• Music of the film is simply forgettable
• Overdramatic and impractical at times (Harman mostly dealing in 4s and 6s …Harman even scores 6 sixes in 6 balls against Stuart Clarke in the airtel champions final…hammering bret lee for sixes every time he plays against him)
• Use of lots of Clichéd stuff
But on the whole, Victory is once watchable for all the Indian cricket fans but don’t expect an Iqbal from it.
Rating: **
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