Review: Diljit Is The Inspiration, Taapsee Is The Heart Of 'Soorma'

Soulful and motivational music, phenomenal performances and a strong storyline make up for this inspirational journey of Sandeep Singh.

Published: Friday,Jul 13, 2018 00:41 AM GMT-06:00

Preksha Jain

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Director: Shaad Ali

Cast: Diljit Dosanjh, Taapsee Pannu, Angad Bedi, Vijay Raaz, Satish Kaushik, Kulbhushan Kharbanda.

Rating: 3/5

Just like the Mumbai weather, it's raining biopics in Bollywood. After a much-talked-about life of controversial star Sanjay Dutt's biopic 'Sanju', we now have a biopic on a lesser known legendary sports personality - Sandeep Singh aka Flicker Singh (His game name).

Soorma tells us the inspiring story of this man who made a nerve-wrenching comeback after being shot in his back while heading to represent Indian internationally. Here's what the movie has in store for us.

The film rolls in the backdrop of Shahabad (1994) - the hockey capital of India where a young Sandeep Singh like many other boys and girls of the village dream of being a part of the Indian hockey team. His dream as a hockey player takes a back seat because of the ruthless behaviour of his coach. Soorma moves further where a grown-up Sandeep Singh (Diljit Dosanjh) is introduced as a local Shahabad boy who as for now has no strong ambitions in life.

Enters Harpreet Kaur (Taapsee Pannu) who motivates Sandeep to concentrate on Hockey again and this ignites the inspirational journey of this famed personality. The story then chronicles the obstacles and heart-wrenching incident that Sandeep (Diljit Dosanjh) goes through which makes him the true hero of Hockey.

Performances:

Acting comes naturally to both Diljit and Taapsee. They have managed to get into the skin of their character and put up a convincing performance. Their chemistry is strikingly easy and loveable. Diljit has owned this film with his flawless act while he makes you glued to the journey of the real Sandeep Singh.

Taapsee Pannu's portrayal of a career-oriented sports player is appreciative. She's the determination of Sandeep (Diljit) and rules each scene with her presence.

Vijay Raaz as the coach has brought yet another commendable performance from his end while Angad Bedi (Bikramjeet Singh) as the elder brother of Sandeep Singh appears to be impressive.

Dialogues:

All the dialogues mouthed by Vijay Raaz are whistle-worthy. There's a scene when Patiala plays against Bihar where Vijay can be heard saying to the audience holding pistol, "Bandook Kacche Mein Rakh, Mein Bhi Bihar Ka Ho, Thook Ke Mate Mein Ched Kar Denge (Keep the gun in your pocket, I am from Bihar too, will make a hole in your forehead only with my spit)".

There's also a noteworthy dialogue which makes you question the partiality between Cricket and other sports played in India. After Sandeep Singh (Diljit Dosanjh) gets shot in the back and he is paralysed below his waist, he appeals to the board of hockey to invest on his medical treatment so that he can stand on his back again and play for India. To this a jury member states, 'Kya ek handicap player pe itna karcha karwah rahe hai? (Why are you making us spend so much on a handicap player?)'.

Director Shaad Ali has done a fair job in capturing the nuances of every other boy and girl of Punjab's dream of playing in the Indian Hockey team. He keeps the first up purely up to Sandeep (Diljit's) rise as the Hockey player and then after the interval showcases the emotional and roller-coaster journey of this sports personality.

Final Verdict:

This biopic has it all - Entertainment, Story, Emotions, Music but lacks the punch to connect with the audience. Some parts are loosely dealt which makes the film a tad stretchy at some portions. But, this is a story which Indian needs to see and be proud of the Arjuna Awardee Sandeep Singh aka Flicker Singh who holds the record of the fastest drag flick in the World.