Torbaaz is a very moving story about beautiful and innocent people living in a war-torn country. But the weakness of the writing and execution is bad for Sanjay Dutt-starrer.
In a war, there are no winners, because innocent lives are always lost, no matter who wins. But who is the most affected? The answer is: the children. Those who don’t know what caused the devastation and whose future is shaped by the trauma they have experienced in the face of war. But there is always hope. Sanjay Dutt-starrer Torbaaz, which airs on Netflix, tells the story of that hope, which has helped a group of children in Afghanistan’s refugee camps to dream and fight for a bright future.
Directed by Girish Malik, Torbaaz is set in present-day Afghanistan, which has been affected by the battle of arms between the Taliban and NATO forces. It is the country of thousands of children who have lost their families and loved ones in this never-ending war and who now live in poorly equipped refugee camps supported by various NGOs. But the story begins in 2007, when the Taliban began using children as young as 10 years old as suicide bombers to achieve their evil goals. They brainwashed them in the name of religion and jihad and trained them to be fedayeen (people who sacrifice themselves).
Sanjay Dutt is a retired officer, Nasser, who served in the Indian army as a medic. He was once stationed in Kabul where he lost his wife Mira and his Aryan son in an attack by the Fijians. While in Afghanistan, his wife had established an NGO working for people affected by the war. Therefore, although he does not want to return to Afghanistan, he cannot say no when Ayesha (played by Nargis Fakhri) calls him back to the country to see how the NGO is working. Upon his return, she is confronted with the harsh reality of using children as suicide bombers in Afghanistan. So he develops a plan to help these brainwashed children get back on their feet. And guess what: Cricket helps her do it.
Nasser goes to a refugee camp inhabited by children of war. The camp is home to all kinds of children, divided by ethnicity, caste and class. But they are united by their love of cricket. In this group are three children who were once trained as followers. One of them, Baaz, is an exceptional off-roader. The group trains hard and forms its own team. But then, you thought it would be a smooth ride? The Taliban organization looking for these boys learns where they are and takes them back to their terrorist camps. Our hero, Nasser, approaches the Taliban and asks them to let the boys participate in a cricket match he has organized with a local cricket club. The story does not end there.
Watch the Torbaaz trailer here :
Torbaaz is a very moving story about beautiful, innocent people living in a war-torn country. The first half hour of the film is reminiscent of Marc Forster’s 2007 film The Kite Runner, based on Khaled Hosseini’s novel of the same name. Although Hosseini’s novel is set in Afghanistan before 2000, you can get an idea of the politics and geography of the region through the film and the book. But is Torbaaz as well made as a movie like The Kite Runner? Well, the answer is no. Because while the emotional quotient was at its peak, the weakness of the script and execution put a brake on the work of starter Sanjay Dutt.
The strength of a story’s writing depends on the research behind it. From Torbaaz’s point of view, it seems that no research was done before writing the book. Many important aspects were ignored in the name of creative freedom. The region where the film is set is known to have highly deployed foreign defense forces. But in the film, their existence is not important. A retired Indian army officer moves freely around the country, which is not to be understood. Not only does he move freely, but he also meets the most wanted Taliban leader, Qazar (played by Rahul Dev), whom even NATO forces are unable to apprehend without difficulty.
Torbaaz could have been smarter. The film lacks good editing and is extremely boring in the beginning. There are many scenes that do not add any value to the film. However, once the story develops and the premises are established, it becomes an interesting watch. The best part of Torbaaz is the last half hour of the movie, which gives you the adrenaline of an exciting cricket match.
As far as acting is concerned, Sanjay Dutt does a good job. However, one cannot say that
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