Sudhanshu Maheshwari
Reema Kagti’s Gold is an inspiring story of the Indian hockey team which aspires to win a gold medal in Olympics. The film is divided into two segments. One before independence, when Indian players used to play under the leadership of the British. And the second after Independence, when they played for free India. But this journey was not easy. Tapan Das (Akshay Kumar) who was the junior manager under the British India team got the responsibility to form a team for free India. Through hard work and dedication Tapan prepared a team but all was not well. Majority of Muslim players including the captain had left for Pakistan. Tapan was devastated, his dream of getting a gold medal shattered. But this was not the end but start of an inspiring, daring journey which ultimately gave us our first hockey gold medal.
The film has been presented in a simple though effective manner. There is no over dramatization which works in its favor. It slows down in between but does not let the audience lose attention.
The cast has been intelligently chosen which has strengthened the film threefold. Akshay Kumar as Tapan Das has done a marvelous job. He fits in these types of roles. Every kind of emotion can be witnessed in his character. Though his Bengali accent is not so good, but this can be ignored. Mouni Roy is the surprise element. It is her debut film and she looks graceful onscreen. Her chemistry with Akshay is a treat to watch. Amit Sadh in the role of Raghubir Pratap Singh has an arrogance and royalty which he has portrayed successfully. Sunny Kaushal as Himmat is good. There is good balance of love and aggression in his character.
Reema Kagti’s direction is awesome. The Partition segment leaves an impression. The climax is strong and generates a feeling of patriotism. The dialogues have been written by Javed Akhtar and his intense style can be felt all through the film.
Sachin-Jigar music is good but some unwanted songs in the first half could have been avoided. In the second half however, the songs are in perfect sync with the story.
