Paan Singh Tomar - Movie Review

(Written by Jaykumar Shah  for Planetbollywood.com)

Movie Name: Paan Singh Tomar

Producer: Ronnie Screwwala
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Mahie Gill, Imran Hasnee, Vipin Sharma
Music: Abhishek Ray
Genre: Biopic, Action, Drama

Recommended Audience: Parental guidance for violence
Film Released on: 02 Mar 2012

Reviewed by: Jaykumar Shah  - Rating: 8 / 10 

Biopics are a difficult genre in Indian Cinema. Challenge of making a movie on a real life character creates a dilemma to trade-off commercial ingredients for a real life depiction. Tigmashu Dhulia hence had one of the most difficult task and one of the most competent team and a well-researched story to achieve this to start with. Paan Singh Tomar is based on the true story of a sportsman turned dacoit (rebel, is the word that the film prefers).  The movie is a part sports movie, a part revenge drama and a part dacoit story. The movie is dedicated to all the sportsmen who suffered injustice, did not get respect they deserved and died in situations that national heroes shouldn’t be facing.

Revenge has a sort of madness attached to it and revenge of a strong helpless man only adds to it. Somewhere in the middle of the madness when you have started thinking that a family feud and loss of family members is the grouse that Paan Singh had for his enemies, there is a scene, the only scene where you hear crack in the voice of Paan Singh and a sheer heartbreak. A point when Paan Singh is asking his dying cousin, what wrong did he do that his cousin took away the playground from him? You instantly connect to that scene, you see what the loss means to the rebel and to the sportsman. Its Irrfan Khan’s detailed portrayal, Tigmanshu Dhulia’s meticulous direction and writing that makes this scene and scenes like these a treat to watch throughout the film.  Irrfan has outdone himself in this movie, just the way Paan Singh once broke his own national record. Tigmanshu Dhulia brings the raw charm of the land to his movies whether it is Haasil, Saheb Bibi aur Gangster or Paan Singh Tomar.

Paan Singh Tomar, an innocent simple village man who speaks his mind, joins army more for the pride it entails. He doesn’t have a particular interest in anything. He believes that people more knowledgeable and literate can direct him and he would have no qualms on following their orders. Paan Singh’s potential as a sportsman is seen by Major Masand (played by Vipin Sharma). The films first half is about Paan Singh’s experience as an army man, a sportsman and a husband. A family feud then takes over Paan Singh’s career and the film’s story. Paan Singh never believed in the government but he believed in the system. It is when his family suffers the enmity that his belief in the system shatters. He turns in to a hardened rebel. The rest of the movie is about his life as a dacoit and his death. First half of the movie plays out in flashback with Paan Singh narrating his life to a journalist (beautifully played by Brijendra Kala) while for the second part you enter the “bihad” , the ravine along with the gang of Paan Singh.

The movie is well written; every character is finely etched and developed. Paan singh’s development from an innocent sportsman to a hardened dacoit is the core of the film. Irrfan Khan delivers an extra ordinary performance as the lead, he looks vulnerable in the first half and menacing in the second and he makes you believe that. Challenge of playing out a biopic and to getting trained in the role of a steeplechase champion and a dacoit meets a never-say-die actor like Irrfan khan and is won over.  Mahie gill’s portrayal of Paan Singh’s wife Indra is also very well done. Chemistry between her and Irrfan gives some very tender and funny moments in the movies first half. Vipin Sharma as Major Masand has been as impressive as his Genda singh of Saheb Bibi and Gangster. Rajendra Gupta as the trainers is also a good casting move. A scene in the later part of second half when the dacoit goes to see his old trainer is worth catching. Brijendra kala, Imran Hasnee and the other actors also add to their role and no one seems to out of place in this very talented team.

The only other hero except Irrfan Khan that makes this movie a delight to watch is its writing. The story is very well paced except in the later part of second half. Dialogues are brilliantly written. Watch out the “Happy birthday to you” song in the Chambal style. Language used is very much of the place and I am glad that they kept the subtitles even in theatre halls, as not every line is easily understood. The first reaction that I had after moving out of the theatre hall was, “why did they not use a single cuss word? I can’t imagine a dacoit like that.” It was only later that I realized those lines were eaten up by the censor board in India.

A special mention to the cinematography by Aseem Mishra - You can see the versatility when you compare his 3 movies – Once upon a time in Mumbai, Newyork and Paan Singh Tomar. Tigmanshu Dhulia’s acquaintance with the region is beautifully captured by Aseem. Whether it is dry crops of ravines looming in foreground of a scene, or the reflection of sun and of boats on waters, landscape gives a mood to the film. The camera is always on move in the first half of the film which gives it the real feel of a sports movie. Editing by Aarti Bajaj who has given us the best of Anurag Kashyap films is breezy in the first half and a little slack in the second. Faisal Majeed’s sound design in the second half when rifles come out is loud at times. Sandeep Chowta brings his class to this beautiful movie. His score along with Abhishek Ray’s music feels like a team work . The background score with intermittent folk-music pieces at various stages heightens the feel of the film.

One point to mull over though for biopics on dacoits is, how justifiable is it to create a hero out of an outlaw? But as a movie and as a piece of visual storytelling, Paan singh Tomar is well crafted and compels you to think over the idea of treating the national heroes justifiably. Intricate portrayal of the character by Irrfan Khan and competent direction by Tigmanshu Dhulia makes the movie a sure winner. If only the second half was a tad shorter, this would have been a “picture perfect”.