Movie Review: Akshay Kumar’s ‘Gold’

Movie Review: Gold
Rating: 3/5
Director: Reema Kagti
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Mouni Roy, Vineet Kumar Singh, Amit Sadh, Kunal Kapoor

Gold Movie Trailer

It is 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Akshay Kumar enters the frame as a general ‘hey you’ of the British India’s national hockey team. Whether you literally go for Gold (or not), as it were, you already know this is a sports film. Which means? One, it will be about the victory of the underdog; triumph of will. Two, since we’re looking at hockey as an overall team sport, it would operate a little bit little like a group-heist picture wherein a bunch of disparate folk get together to execute a common mission. Whether Indians win or lose is immaterial, for standing on the podium would be slaves. There, in a country covered with swastikas, Akshay’s Tapan Das vows with a hand on the Tricolour, to win the medal for a free India. Follow Spotlife Asia for the latest Entertainment and Lifestyle news.

Gold is inspired by India winning its first gold medal as a free country at the 1948 Olympics in Britain. Winning over our erstwhile colonial masters would have been sweet indeed and the story loses none of its strength as it is narrated in Gold. The fact that its span takes us over one of the most tumultuous time in the history of world and India makes it even more stirring. Well done Akshay Kumar and Reema Kagti for choosing the right subject and delivering a crackling film.

The film is brilliant in parts, especially when it correlates with historic events. Nothing spells patriotism better than scenes from the great Indian freedom struggle. And the film wisely provides lots of that. You can sense the players’ frustration as they play for a different nation. The film manages to successfully capture the confusion of that period, making you relate to the goings on, on a personal level. Also, Gold never indulges in Pakistan bashing, which is a refreshing change. They could have easily fallen prey to the lure of bringing in some good old rivalry and the resulting drama but it instead places the neighboring country in high regards, making them seem as much of a victim of partition as India. Akshay Kumar, Amit Sadh, Kunal Kapoor and Sunny Singh deliver splendid performances.

The director puts Akshay Kumar on the backseat. He is the ‘paagal Bangali’. The slightly crazy alcoholic who has seen the Indian hockey team defeat strong contenders on the Olympic field with 12 goals. He stood by the winning team from British India as the band played God Save The King. The manager of the Indian hockey team, Tapan Das, dreams of seeing the word ‘British’ struck off from in front of Indian Team. In 1936 Berlin, as the world watched British India defeat Germany in the finals, Tapan is restless.

Akshay Kumar shines best in the frames that he shares with someone else. Be it with a Vinnet Singh (who is his usual brilliant self) or a Kunal Kapoor (back on screen with his Rang De Basanti fervour) or a Sunny Kaushal (very impressive) or an Amit Sadh (commendable performance). Or with his wife Monobina, played by a fantastic Mouni Roy. Mouni crosses over from the small screen to the big with elan and matches Akshay in every scene that she is with him in.

Director Reema Kagti keeps Akshay in the background like Tapan keeps his Himmat Singh (Sunny Kaushal). Tapan (with his shaky Bengali accent) is the proverbial glue that holds this team and the film together. But Akshay Kumar never lets his superstar aura take centrestage. He is the king-maker. From the sidelines, he cheers the team and propels them forward, both figuratively and otherwise.

All through the film, Sachin-Jigar gives a heart-thumping background music to match the pace of Gold. The pace drops in the second half, but seeing the semi-finals play out slo-mo is every bit worth it. Gold is made for the Independence-Day audience who love Akshay Kumar. Let there be no mistake about that. But Kagti is a fine storyteller. The execution of the journey is where you need to put your money on, much like the Indian team and not the individual players.

Cinematographer Alvaro Gutierrez recreates the 1940s perfectly with hardly a note out of place. Songs in the film aid the narrative.