Hello Movie Maniacs
Every once in a while we get a movie that seems to be from a different era altogether. Everything from the script, to the sets seems so outdated that one may mistake it for a delayed release of a film stuck for more than 2 decades. This is the story of Toolsidas Junior, a film made on the backdrop of a Snooker competition.
A good story; A poor execution.
Everyone loves an underdog. Everyone loves a story of redemption. Toolsidas Junior has both the flavours and yet it fails to connect. Directed by Mridul Mahendra and scripted/produced by Ashutosh Gowariker, the movie tells the tale of a young school going kid who watches his father Toolsidas (Played by Late Rajiv Kapoor) get beaten by an evil competitor Jimmy Tandon (Dalip Tahil) after the latter tricks the former with alcohol just before the final.
A disgraced father has no idea that his younger son is adamant at bringing his name on the board of championship winners. In his quest to learn Snooker, Mridul Toolsidas aka Toolsidas Junior (Varun Buddhadev) hunts for the perfect coach. Enters Mohammed Salaam (Sanjay Dutt) as a snooker addicted layman. He teaches the finer nuances to the kid, thereby setting up the final showdown. The kid has to face the same Evil opponent as the story comes a full arc.
Now, on paper this looks like a great underdog story but the execution is really sloppy. The only scene worth watching is when Sanjay Dutt teaches the shots comparing strokes to the action scenes of bollywood actors.
Rest of the story feels like a drag thanks to insipid script and forced scenes like a young romance and circus trip of the protagonist.
An acting nightmare
The outdated low budget feel of the movie rubs onto the performances of actors. Dalip Tahil looks far too evil for a competitive snooker player. (Who crushes the thumb of a 10 year old just to win a low budget snooker contest). Sanjay Dutt plays a paan chewing Sanjay Dutt and Late Rajiv Kapoor just stays the same as he was in his youth. No wonder he did not work too long.
A bore fest
Overall, the movie is a bore fest and even the underdog winning seems more like a relief (that the movie ends) than a celebration. Avoid this unless you are a fan of cinema of 1980s.
