Anurag Kashyap shared an anecdote about what happened after Vineet Kumar Singh came to him with a story, which would later go on to become a wonderful film called MUKKABAAZ. Based in Uttar Pradesh, the story (inspired from true events) revolves around a brawler (Mukkabaaz) who aspires to be a boxer (Mukkebaaz). Kashyap liked the idea and agreed to direct it - but on one condition that if Vineet wanted to play the lead then he had to become a boxer. The transformation began, with a once scrawny Singh turning into a brawny boxer under the tutelage of professional boxing coaches in Punjab. After around a year Vineet was ready and how!
The effort put in by Vineet shows in plenty of scenes which make the boxing look as authentic as possible. Boxing is just a medium that the protagonist Shravan uses, but his fight is against several odds that his life throws up. Be it marrying an upper caste girl, or working for a boss who uses reverse discrimination, or parents who think nothing of their son’s boxing, Shravan is constantly fighting.
But his biggest fight is against the antagonist Bhagwandas (played by a menacing Jimmy Shergill) who runs the town’s boxing federation like his personal fiefdom. Shravan does get help, in the form of a boxing coach Sanjay Kumar (Ravi Kishan in a controlled performance) but how long does it last and will Shravan win against all odds are questions to which the viewers get a fitting and practical answer in the film’s climax.
Apart from the genuine boxing scenes, the other high point of this film are the dialogues. In one hilarious scene Anurag Kashyap creates pure magic with Shravan having a loud altercation with his parents, using wit and sarcasm in plentiful but ends the scene with a character totally misunderstanding the other. The female lead (Zoya Hussain) gives a sparkling performance despite playing a mute girl. In this wonderfully wordy film, it is her use of eyes and sign language that stand out (Thank goodness; we have subtitles for most of her parts).
Acting is always a plus point in Anurag Kashyap films and this one gets it from all the cast. Camera work is excellent too and captures the earthiness of UP very well. What disappoints slightly is the length and the excessive use of songs tends to slow the pace a wee bit. A sharper editing would have made this a five-star experience.
But overall this is an excellent film and is a must watch. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
The effort put in by Vineet shows in plenty of scenes which make the boxing look as authentic as possible. Boxing is just a medium that the protagonist Shravan uses, but his fight is against several odds that his life throws up. Be it marrying an upper caste girl, or working for a boss who uses reverse discrimination, or parents who think nothing of their son’s boxing, Shravan is constantly fighting.
But his biggest fight is against the antagonist Bhagwandas (played by a menacing Jimmy Shergill) who runs the town’s boxing federation like his personal fiefdom. Shravan does get help, in the form of a boxing coach Sanjay Kumar (Ravi Kishan in a controlled performance) but how long does it last and will Shravan win against all odds are questions to which the viewers get a fitting and practical answer in the film’s climax.
Apart from the genuine boxing scenes, the other high point of this film are the dialogues. In one hilarious scene Anurag Kashyap creates pure magic with Shravan having a loud altercation with his parents, using wit and sarcasm in plentiful but ends the scene with a character totally misunderstanding the other. The female lead (Zoya Hussain) gives a sparkling performance despite playing a mute girl. In this wonderfully wordy film, it is her use of eyes and sign language that stand out (Thank goodness; we have subtitles for most of her parts).
Acting is always a plus point in Anurag Kashyap films and this one gets it from all the cast. Camera work is excellent too and captures the earthiness of UP very well. What disappoints slightly is the length and the excessive use of songs tends to slow the pace a wee bit. A sharper editing would have made this a five-star experience.
But overall this is an excellent film and is a must watch. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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