TOOFAAN is the story of a street brawler's transformation into a top-class boxer. Aziz Ali aka Ajju (Farhan Akhtar) is an orphan who was raised by Jafar Bhai (Vijay Raaz). Aziz now lives with his friend Munna (Hussain Dalal) in Dongri, Mumbai and does all the dirty work for Jafar bhai. While thrashing a restaurant owner (Imran Rashid) over a feud with Jafar bhai, Aziz gets injured.

The world is his ring and everyone a punching bag. But when life lands its hard knocks on a ruffian turned boxer-turned-average Joe, he must make a choice between resigning to fate or rising to the challenge. There's always a choice, imparts his wise muse, which forms the core of Toofaan's emotional journey from playing for respect before the one he loves to paying respects to the one he loves.

In a scene that's a reflection of the times we are in, ace boxing coach Nana Prabhu or Narayana Prabhu (Paresh Rawal) is taken aback when his friend (Mohan Agashe), accuses him of being prejudiced and talking like a 'bigot'. In his defence, Nana Prabhu points out that he has taken the former thug Aziz Ali (Farhan Akhtar), from Dongri, under his wings and trained him to be a champion.

A good hearted Parsi gym owner in the neighbourhood, introduces the legendary Muhammad Ali's videos to Aziz. 'Boxing Aur bhaigiri mein yahi farak hai. Boxing is a sport that needs technique, discipline and patience, not just strength,' he clarifies. Recognising his potential and the expert training he deserves, Aziz is recommended to a widely respected boxing coach Nana Prabhu (Paresh Rawal).

A Dongri gangster stumbles upon boxing. He takes to the sport like fish to water. Under the tutelage of "Mumbai's best coach", he evolves quickly, shaves off his beard and severs all links with the underworld. A flurry of knockouts later, he is crowned the champion of Maharashtra.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Farhan Akhtar set the bar high with their first collaboration, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), in which the former's gift for storytelling and the latter's efforts to transform himself into an athlete combined to produce a classic sports drama. But fans hoping to see the duo surpass themselves in Toofaan are bound to be disappointed.

After Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra turns to sport for the second time with Toofan. While the earlier film was based on the life of a genuine sports icon, the latter is a piece of fiction. Seems like Mehra is a fan of American boxing films like Rocky, Raging Bull, and Million Dollar Baby, as Toofan feels like a homage to all these great films.

He's a street thug who chances upon boxing as an adult and falls in love with it. She's a doctor at a charitable medical institution who abhors his waywardness and violence. He says as a poor orphan, the early choices before him had been limited. She insists there is always a choice to do better. Throw into this pond full of contrasts the fact that he is Muslim while she is Hindu, the daughter of an Islamophobic father and a mother killed in a bomb blast engineered by terrorists fighting in the name of Islam, and that pond transforms into a river in full spate.

Carrying the legacy of their previous winning striking and emotionally sweeping 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' forward, the awesome combo of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Farhan Akhtar are back to look for jabs and relevant punches in this romantic sports drama.

Ajju Bhai, aka Aziz Ali (Farhan Akhtar), is an extortionist under a local gangster (Vijay Raaz) in Mumbai's Dongri. We don't know the year exactly the film is set in but by the looks of it seems in the past decade. Ajju meets Ananya (Mrunal Thakur), who gives him reason enough to become Aziz Ali, the boxer. Begins the grind as Nana Prabhu (Paresh Rawal) trains him, and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra himself has to make an appearance to conclude it all.

The progress of Toofan is written on the body of its pugilist hero: light on its feet in the early triumphant phase, heavy in the middle, sluggish during the drudge years but sprightly again after the demons have been chased away.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra gets into the sports arena for the second time with his latest Amazon Prime Toofan. While his 2013 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag had Farhan Akhtar playing the renowned Olympics runner, the director's Toofan steps into the boxing ring. In an early scene, master coach Nana Prabhu (Paresh Rawal) tells Aziz Ali - a man with phenomenal energy and extraordinary speed but abysmally lacking in technique - that he must treat the ring as his home.

Toofaan is the kind of film you would make after someone forces you to sit through a hundred popular Hindi films, and asks you to crunch them up and regurgitate the result. It does not seem like a passion project, but a film school assignment. Perhaps my disappointment stems from the comparison I have inadvertently made with director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's earlier works.

One Word Review... Toofaan: PREDICTABLE. Lacks the punch of #BhaagMilkhaBhaag... Clichd plot, predictable screenplay, excessive runtime [2.41 hours] roadblocks... Few emotional moments, topnotch performances [#FarhanAkhtar, #PareshRawal] standout. #ToofaanReview