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Gold Movie Review:Akshay Kumar instills the closeted patriot in us and shines in this near classic sports film
Akshay Kumar has one goal in mind and that is an Olympic Gold Medal for an Independent India in Gold. Read our Gold Movie Review of this Reema Kagti directorial that also marks the Bollywood debut of Mouni Roy.
When the entire audience in a theatre stands up willingly, without it being an obligation, for the Indian national anthem, you know the filmmaker has served its purpose. Using patriotism as her tool of spirit, Reema Kagti's Gold is the perfect Independence Day gift for all those who seem to forget their loyalty towards their nation in today's selfish times. Gold is the story of a Bengali drunkard and patriot Tapan Das (Akshay Kumar) who dreams of winning the Olympic Gold medal for an independent India and seek revenge against the British Raj through the tool of non-violence and with the help of hockey sticks instead.
While India won the Olympic Gold before, under British rule, the 1948 London Olympics was still of utmost importance. Through the first half of Gold, you see Tapan, through his wit and the finances of his wife Monobina (Mouni Roy), assembling his dream Hockey team. However, like any sports movie, he and the team face several hurdles before they make it to the London Olympics. Players like the retired captain Samrat (Kunal Kapoor), Imtiaz (Vineet Kumar Singh), Raghubir (Amit Sadh) and Himmat's (Sunny Kaushal) backstories and mannerisms are the backbone of this patriotic tale.
Director Reema deserves all the credit for this knockout film that never feels too cliche and makes you root for the team to win, in spite, of you knowing the end result thanks to our history books. She has perfectly balanced the emotions and the hockey scenes, as she gives you the best of both worlds. Akshay sheds his macho superstar 'can do' anything persona to play a troubled manager whose dream is bigger than his own life. His performance does not feel forced and his strength as an actor lies in the subtlety of playing such a strong supporting character while letting the hockey team players shine in the spotlight. Mouni makes her big Bollywood debut with Gold and shines as the firecracking no-nonsense wife of Tapan, who is the beacon of light in his life and keeps him motivated with her own notion of love. In between, it may seem as if some of her scenes could have been avoided in the long run but Mouni's on-screen persona makes up for it.
Kunal has a small role but it's his last scene that leaves the most impact on you. Amit has all the qualities to be a bonafide leading man and is the hidden gem in the movie while Vineet and Sunny fill the emotional quota of the film.
From the start to the finish, you are invested in each of the characters and their common goal. It breaks your heart to see the first scene as the disrespect shown towards our Indian flag. This is completely opposite to the reaction you will feel towards the end of the film. Every closeted patriot in all of us elevates throughout the movie. The moment when an entire stadium of Britishers cheers for India, it leaves an everlasting impact on you. With many patriotic movies, Pakistan is shown in a bad light but in Gold, to see the camaraderie between Indians and Pakistanis is a delight to witness on the big screen.
The writing is so crisp that you can even forgive the poor VFX of the stadium crowds and the music adds the right flavours and moves the narrative forward.
Gold is a patriotic sports movie done right and is a near classic that deserves to be watched on Independence Day.
We rate it a 75% on the movie meter.
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