Ghoomer (2023) :
Movie Review-
Ghoomer Review: R. Balki's latest sports drama stars Saiyami Kher, Abhishek Bachchan, and Shabana Azmi in the lead roles. Ghoomer has already given away its plot in the promo, so you know it's a story of the human spirit. It's a story of dreams and the struggle to achieve them. Some people are lucky to be perfectly healthy to achieve it, while a few are not that lucky. They have to find their way against unexpected turns in life and stand different and stronger than others, especially normal people. There was a Marathi play called "Ananya" (also remade as a film in 2022), which tells the story of a young girl who loses both her hands in an accident. Ghoomer takes inspiration from that classic play to hit an emotionally lofted shot on the cricket field. We have had numerous films made on cricket, and hardly any film has left an impact except for Nagesh Kukunoor's "Iqbal" (2005) or Kabir Khan's docu-feature "83" (2021). The fad for biopics ruined a few good stories of talented sportspersons in India, but I am glad that Ghoomer came out better than those real stories despite being a fictional story, which is very much believable. I was STUNNED for a moment or two (believe me, it doesn't happen often, even though I watch so many movies), and that's enough to cover some certain loopholes. Ghoomer could have been better, though, practically and cinematically, but it's emotionally overloaded, which covers up a lot of things.
Ghoomer is about Anini (Saiyami Kher), a batswoman who is aiming to get a place in Team India. The right-handed batswoman gets selected in the probable team by the selectors after being humiliated by a retired male test bowler, now a drunkard, Paddy (Abhishek Bachchan). While driving away in frustration with her boyfriend, Jeet (Angad Bedi), Ani has an accident and loses her right arm. Disappointed and fed up with such a life, Ani wants to die, but is visited by Paddy Sodhi on her birthday to make things hopeful. Paddy makes her believe that she can play for Team India in the next 10 months if she wants to, but not as a batswoman but as a left-arm spinner. Demotivated Ani is filled with enthusiasm, but is it that simple to defeat lameness in cricket? Can Anini (read it the same from right or left) do it, and can Paddy make her strong enough to get out on the field again for the nation? Ghoomer is about that never-ending spirit of humans that cannot stop for anything and fights any impossible thing to achieve their dreams.
Ghoomer has a dramatic screenplay that is far from practical sense, but it does have logical answers to many of your questions at the end. In the very first scene, Paddy enters the ground where selection is going on, and you are like, "How?!" There is a good answer to it, as Paddy is a club member. It passes the time somehow, but then you see a nice philosophy behind it far later in the film. "Ego hurt Karo, wicket Lena nahi padega. Ek bevda kya Mera wicket lega yahi sochke koi mujhe wicket de gaya tha," lines like these are so intellectual when it comes to mind games. "Your left hand has to earn the right to bowl," Wow! The moment when THE AMITABH BACHCHAN says with his evergreen humour, "I love this game. Win or lose, the real winner is standing in the middle of the field". The film wins you over here. No matter how dramatic or histrionic it is, Ghoomer spins you there. If you love Cricket, you will love that scene and eventually the movie. It becomes predictable by the end, but the sentiments win the match for you (as a viewer). It doesn't matter how stubborn Paddy is as a coach; the ultimate motive approves of his actions. There can't be any explanation for his drinking habit, yet he has a monologue on it to cover it up. Amitabh Bachchan's commentator is sometimes too funny, too humorous, to be accepted as a neutral, but that's Balki's cinematic Liberty for you. It's up to you whether to believe it or not. There are some flaws here and there like this, and you have to be sensible enough to forgive them to enjoy the film. Insensibility will make you hate the film, and I don't want that to happen just because some scenes are bad, while all that the rest of the film deserves is LOVE.
Saiyami Kher knows cricket more than any Bollywood actress would ever know. That helps here. It's a known basic sense that the reverse motion of the right arm pushes the left arm to release extra force, but the film takes longer than expected to arrive at this conclusion. You keep seeing Saiyami bowl with the left arm when you know the outcome wouldn't be enough to make him an international cricketer. Yet Saiyami makes you believe it with her performance, expressions, and tough physical tasks. Actors usually don't need to give endurance tests, but once in a while there comes a character that requires them to do something more than just act, and Ghoomer was that film for Saiyami. I don't know whether you'll take a Ghoomer around yourself, but let's take a round around Saiyami and applaud her for the brilliant show. Abhishek Bachchan reminded me of Amitabh Bachchan in some scenes, but I didn't know that Big B was going to be there at the end (even that's too predictable since Big B has been there in R. Balki movies like a permanent member). Abhishek is fantastic throughout the film. Here is the performance that deserves the hype more than those forgettable OTT projects. Paddy isn't a legend, but he is a fine human with regular shortcomings of practical maturity. Shabana Azmi literally had a blast in RRKPK just a few weeks ago, and she had a similar role here too. Yes, she is knowledgeable, but her humour and spontaneity are both typically funny. Angad Bedi is decent as a loyal boyfriend, while Big B's cameo is illogically delightful. The supporting cast has done well too.
Ghoomer is not a big-budget movie, so the scale was bound to be limited. We don't have enough cricket films that can be as beautiful as a live cricket match when it comes to action on the field, but I don't think that can ever be achieved. Ghoomer suffers from the same problem, as the cricket scenes are not well executed. It clearly looks more like a feature film than a live match because it's almost next to impossible to create an organic atmosphere on the big screen. A few cut shots, zoomed angles, close-ups, and slow-mos-well, that's too mainstream. The music sounds fine to the ears but bores you visually. Again, the screenplay is at fault. You know exactly when the song is going to come and even what kind of song it is. The editing is superb, though, as you never have a moment to go out or check your mobile (except for a couple of songs). R. Balki is one of the finest filmmakers in our industry, and he continues to hold the same stature after Ghoomer. His filmography is not just about diversity but also about doing justice to the challenging topics he has chosen over the years. It's so good that even his weakest film comes out as a fine one-time watch. Ghoomer may not be his best or top 3 work for me, but he made me believe again that he can never make a bad film. Ghoomer will make you believe that even overdramatic films can be good. All you need is one genius like R. Balki. As a whole, Ghoomer is an honest attempt at an unbelievable story, but it sails rock steadily with the help of fine performances, strong emotions, and R. Balki's conviction.
RATING - 6/10*
