GOWRI MANICKAVASAGAM
The Toofaan team, including Paresh Rawal, Farhan Akhtar, Mrunal Thakur and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, embarked on a virtual city tour with Ahmedabad before the launch of Toofaan on Amazon Prime Video. In the first virtual tour of its kind, they were seen discussing with the media, fans as well as various heroes.
Talking about his first virtual city visit for Toofaan, Farhan Akhtar, the lead actor and co-producer of the film, said, “Gujarat, like other states in India, is a land of rich culture and inspiring stories. Gujarat is home to some of the greatest athletes in the country and makes us proud of their contributions. As a producer and actor, I am happy to have the opportunity to discuss with the local media in Ahmedabad, which has allowed me to inform them about the powerful and inspiring story of Toofaan. It is my pleasure to see so much love and cooperation being received from the state over the years.
“With Toofaan, I’ve learned that a person can be as strong as they like physically, but being a boxer is something different. I have undergone 8 to 9 months of rigorous physical training and am mentally equipped for this role. This role is very close to my heart.” he added.
Helmed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, “Toofaan” chronicles the transformation of Aziz Ali aka Ajju Bhai—from a henchman to a national level boxer. Akhtar and Mehra previously worked on “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”, another sports drama, in 2013.
The 47-year-old actor said “Toofaan” uses boxing as a tool to cover a larger theme of love and acceptance.
“We are living through extremely wounded, fractures times. We get aggravated, rightfully so, with a lot of scratching of the wounds that consistently goes on.
“To apply a balm to these wounds is something we have endeavoured to do with this film and hopefully people sense that when they see it… It is a film that has a message that talks about something relevant.”
The message of the film, Akhtar recalled, resonated with Mehra when he narrated the basic idea to the filmmaker three years ago.
“I felt it would be nice to bring it (the thought) into a world that visually can create an exciting journey. Boxing for me was the perfect metaphor for the journey of this character.
“When you’re talking about a story of love and acceptance, juxtaposing it against the backdrop of this violent sport just made the idea interesting. From the first hearing, Rakeysh got what the film was trying to say.”
Written by Anjum Rajabali, with additional screenplay and dialogue by Vijay Maurya, “Toofaan” is scheduled to be released on Amazon Prime Video on Friday.
Akhtar said his understanding of Ajju—a man unaware of his own talent—mirrors the reality of many boxers across the world, who have punched all odds to emerge champions.
Their potential alone wasn’t a guarantee for success, what they also needed–and so does Ajju–is someone who could believe in them, the actor said.
“Toofaan” stars actor Paresh Rawal as a boxing coach and Mrunal Thakur, playing a doctor and a partner who is instrumental in Ajju’s transformation.
“My understanding of Ajju was a character who doesn’t understand his own potential. That’s the story of many boxers. Boxing is not a rich person”s sport. All the champions we have seen have come from poor, really difficult backgrounds, trying circumstances, who have got into this sport to have a better life.
“But none of it has been possible without them having met the right person, or the right person discovering in them a certain talent to be able to do it. That’s how I approached Ajju – a man living his life that has not seen its full potential.”
“Toofaan” is produced by Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment along with Mehra’s ROMP Pictures.
The film is Mehra and Akhtar’s first collaboration in eight years after the massive success of the National Award-winning “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” and the actor said the team was focused on delivering an “emotional journey” with “Toofaan”.
“We have a good creative synergy. But the pressure is not to deliver a successful film. Your challenge is, ”Can we take the audience back to the kind of place that we took them with the first time that we worked together. ”Can we still give them an emotional journey?” With this film, I would like to believe we have done that,” he added.
“Toofaan” will be Akhtar’s first direct-to-digital release. The film was scheduled to have a theatrical release but the makers opted for a release on the streamer due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The actor said he is not disappointed that the film won’t be viewed theatrically.
“The OTT platform has an incredible number of pros. Your film will be seen in 200 plus countries, accessible to millions of households, on the same day and date. These are the things you could not have imagined six years ago.
“As content creators, we have to accept what is new rather than fight it, because it is here to stay,” he added.
Presented by Amazon Prime Video with Excel Entertainment and ROMP Pictures, Toofaan is an inspiring sports drama.
