Torbaaz Review: Haphazard Execution Spoils the Positive Storyline!

Torbaaz, the Netflix Original movie directed by Girish Malik, stars Sanjay Dutt in the lead role with Rahul Dev and Nargis Fakhri in supporting roles explores a time-old story in a diverse setting with Sanju portraying a very different and an unconventional role, unlike his previous films. Torbaaz Review

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Set in Afghanistan, the storyline of Torbaaz kicks off with the Talibani militants plotting discrete ways to knock down the Americans and the National Army. And one of the more unmerciful practices they seek to implement is by manipulating young children to deploy suicide bombs. Nevertheless, as the tension mounts between both parties, Dr. Naseer (Sanjay Dutt) from India seeks to bring a positive change and begins a Cricket Camp for the refugee kids as the remainder of the film explains how he succeeded in his efforts to reform their gloomy lifestyle. Torbaaz Review

Let’s begin with the crux of the entire film. Torbaaz succeeds inside and out when it comes to having the intention of showcasing a narrative that is full of heart and filled with emotions. It knits a few real-life events with a plot that is based on Cricket and endeavors to deliver an impactful and emotionally-high drama that could have masterfully worked if everything went according to the plan. Torbaaz Review

The entire narrative in Torbaaz of kids being manipulated and utilized as suicide bombers, the intended reasoning behind the game of Cricket as their ray of sunshine, and the significance of their national team could have been explained decently. I remember Rashid Khan, the Afghanistani leg-break bowler talking about Cricket being a positive change in their country, and Torbaaz tries to transmit the same message with its storyline through and through.

However, the execution of the movie is very haphazard and erratic, at least for the first and the last thirty minutes. The scenes do not time to sink in, and I can see Girish Malik’s intent of not overly dramatizing the movie, and in the process, losing the essence or the authenticity of the entire ordeal.

But, the fast cuts, random scenes that do not make any sense, and the choppy editing technique applied by Dilip Deo spoiled the film for the most part. Especially the climax where everything seemed very rushed, from the amateurish camera work to the editing style and the uneloquent scenes. To put it in simple words, it is a mess!

On the other side, the performances from the complete cast are decent from the beginning to the end. Sanjay Dutt gave his best in a well-written and positively portrayed character on-screen. Rahul Dev, as the paint-by-the-number cliched antagonist tries to make his character work with his menacing body language speaking in accent-heavy Urdu, to no avail. The kids who play the cricketers in the film provide that much-needed drama and humor during the central part of the film and succeed completely in doing so.

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Overall, Torbaaz is a watchable film solely because of its intent to showcase a positive storyline alongside the commendable performances from the cast and the dynamic camera work that beautifully captures the terrain and the snowy mountain range of Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the execution of the story is not up to par, and a few storytelling issues spoil the genuine message the film tried to put forth. Watch ‘Torbaaz’ on Netflix here.

Rating – 2.5/5 | Grade – C+

Images via Netflix India