Farhan Akhtar’s new sports drama film has made the audiences very much excited. The actor plays the role of a boxing champion Aziz Ali in this film, who has started from zero and reaches its peak more than one time Farhan Akhtar once again made his performance excellent in this film not only by impressing the audiences through its physical transformation but also manages to pack the right punches.
Toofan is a sports drama-based film. It is directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, written by Anjum Rajabali and Vijay Maurya, and narrated by Vijay Raaz. It is produced by Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and its production companies ROMP Pictures and Excel Entertainment.
Toofan’s story is about a national-level boxer from the streets of Dongri, who is set against the backdrop of boxing but this movie it will show how he falls and come back with a victorious win after fighting against all odds in life. It also stars Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal, and Supriya Pathak.
Before streaming Toofan on Amazon Prime Video on the weekend, here we present a list of eight films on boxing that one must watch.
1. Rocky
Rocky is a sports drama film. It starred Sylvester Stallone in the lead role of Rocky, which has continued to be an alternate identity for the star. The 1976 film Rocky was followed by Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), Rocky V (1990), Rocky Balboa (2006), Creed (2015), Creed II (2018), and Creed III (2022). The ‘rags-to-riches’ drama projected the story of Rocky Balboa, who is an Italian-American street fighter. He got a shot at the world heavyweight championship. Apart from playing the lead role of ‘The Italian Stallion’ as Sylvester was popularly called wrote six films and he also even directed four out of six titular instalments.
2. Mary Kom
The famous actor Priyanka Chopra played the role of India’s most successful boxer Mary Kom. Many critics have criticized for casting stars and also using prosthetic makeup to look like Mary Kom. But Priyanka Chopra’s acting has stopped all of them to utter a single word. This film is directed by Omung Kumar, who also ranked one of the highest-grossing Indian films led by a female actor. Priyanka Chopra has to undergo strict training for few months in order to maintain a particular muscular physique.
3. Mukkabaaz
Mukkabazz is directed by Anurag Kashyap. This film has starred Vineet Singh and also marked the debut of Zoya Hussain. The film was also written by Vineet Singh along with his sister Mukti. After many rejections, Anurag Kashyap has taken up the project. In order to become a real boxer, he went to the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports and trained in boxing for a year. The film won accolades from critics and masses alike.
4. Ali
Ali is a film that basically focuses on acclaimed boxer Muhammad Ali’s life from 1964 to 1974. It was released in the year 2001. Ali gained the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston and then being banished. He has only returned to fight Joe Frazier in 1971. It is directed by Michael Mann. This film also focused on how Cassius Clay Jr became Ali after his conversion to Islam, reclaiming the title from George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle fight of 1974.
5. Pehlwaan
Pehlwaan is a 2019 film, it has been initially planned to release in nine different languages but it has finally been released in five languages. The film shows us the journey of an orphan who became a wrestler and a boxer. He fought with all those people who have wanted to disrupt his personal life. This film has marked the debut of TV actor Aakansha Singh.
6. Sala Khadoos
Saala Khadoos is a Tamil and Hindi bilingual film. It is written and directed by Sudha Kongara. It stars R. Madhavan as a coach to Ritika Singh, who played a role of an aspiring boxer. It was heard that Madavan has suffered a minor injury on the sets during the last schedule. The story of redemption was remade in Telegu as Guru with Venkatesh stepping into Madavan’s shoes.
7. Raging Bull
Raging Bull is a biopic that has been released in the year 1980. It stars Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta. He is an Italian-American middleweight boxer, his self-destructive and obsessive rage has destroyed his both personal and professional life. It was directed by Martin Scorsese. Considered one of the greatest films ever made, Raging Bull gained critical acclaim and continues to be a favorite among sports-movie lovers.
8. Cinderella Man
Cinderella Man is another biographical sports drama. This film shows us the story of James J. Braddock, who was nicknamed as ‘Cinderella Man’. It is directed by Ron Howard. It stars Russell Crowe, Renne Zellweger and Paul Giamatti. The Irish-Americal boxer was forced to quit the sport as he suffered an injury. In order to meet the ends, he went back to the ring with an injured wrist that time he fought harder with his left hand. As Braddock gains success, his rags to riches story made sportswriter Damon Runyon dub him as ‘The Cinderella Man’
