Azhar quick movie review: Emraan Hashmi's sincere performance helps us breeze through a clichéd first half!

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The much awaited film starring Emraan Hashmi, Nargis Fakhri, Prachi Desai has hit the screens…

Azhar is NOT a biopic of Mohd Azharuddin, so says the disclaimer at the start of the film. The same disclaimer insists that the film is just an fictionalized version of real events that happened around in Azhar’s life. The film doesn’t waste time in establishing the film’s main plot – the match-fixing allegations against Azhar. Azhar is thrown off the team, his fans burn his effigies and everyone has been shaming him. He takes the help of his friend cum lawyer, played by Kunaal Roy Kapur. However, the prosecution is led by the firebrand lawyer, played by Lara Dutta, who is determined to show the world tge real face of Azhar. Emraan Hashmi plays Azhar with enough sincerity that we don’t mind that he doesn’t look anything like the former cricket captain. His mannerisms are near identical to what we have seen of the man he is playing in the film. His romantic sequences with his first wife, played by Prachi Desai, are very heartwarming. Kunaal Roy Kapur, Gautam Gulati and Lara Dutta also pitch in fine performances. However, the makers’ deliberate intention to give a filmy touch to the proceedings do hamper your viewing pleasures, especially a few clichéd scenes and corny dialogues. This confuses the viewer as to whether the makers are intent on bringing out the truth or just intend to make a masala film. The first half tries to whitewash Azhar’s character, but twist near the interval tells us this is not the case.

BTW, Nargis Fakhri has not made her appearance yet….

Our reviewer Sreeju Sudhakaran is watching the film as you read the quick review. Stray tuned for the full review of the film.

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