Tag Archives: Flicker Singh

REVIEW: SOORMA Two biopics in a fortnight. SANJU and SOORMA. As different from each other as chalk is from cheese. SANJU (reviewed earlier on; the first movie in 2018 for which I gave 4.5 stars), is about a glamorous personality who became just as well known for his unglamorous actions. And thanks to the brilliant Raju Hirani, who managed to cloak a few episodes in the chief character’s life in hues that were so magical and yet not very far from the truth, audiences were moved. And they thronged the theatres. And SANJU began breaking box-office records. SOORMA is about the hockey player Sandeep Singh. Not known to many except close followers of Indian Hockey. He still holds the world record for the fastest “drag flick”, which earned him the nickname of Flicker Singh and caused him to have the highest bid amount in the first season of Hockey India League. But he is better known as a warrior (SOORMA), who battled against odds after an accidental gunshot in 2006 paralyzed him waist downwards and got back to representing India and perform drag flicking miracles. A true tale of willpower doing the extraordinary. Very inspirational too. But pretty “unglamorous” from a cinematic viewpoint. Writer and director Shaad Ali presents the story in a straight forward linear fashion without any added dramatics. Thus, even with Diljeet Dosanjh’s excellent portrayal, SOORMA is fairly flat. It would have required a genius like Raju Hirani or Nitesh Tewari, who created the hugely successful DANGAL to take a few cinematic liberties and fill it with excitement and repeat visit producing scenes. The music by Shankar Ehsan Loy is quite energetic, but music alone cannot support a biopic which scores poorly on the “dramatic quotient”. But because it is a tale of an Indian rising up against odds, it stirs the patriotic elements within you as you watch it. SANJU leaves you with a feel good aura; SOORMA will make you feel proud. And one last difference between SANJU and SOORMA: Sanjay Dutt (SANJU) will never ever get employed by the Indian Police; Sandeep Singh Saini (SOORMA) is a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Haryana! RATING: 3.5 out of 5 July 16, 2018