Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra: ‘Toofan is a mix of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Rang De Basanti’

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has said that his latest film, Toofan, starring Farhan Akhtar, can be described as a mix of his two older films — Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

At the trailer launch event for Toofan on Wednesday, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra was asked the difference between working on a sports biopic and a sports drama. While Rang De Basanti was fictional tale, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was a biopic on sprinter Milkha Singh, and Toofan is a fictional sports drama about a boxer.

Responding to the question, the filmmaker told reporters, “When we started working on Toofan, I realised boxing is a contact sport. It is not like others. Here, you need to hit the other person. Unlike cricket, or football, or athletics. You are running but in different tracks. In boxing, you have to hit, how to fake a contact? The whole physicality and mental makeup, how to go for that?”

“Of course there are all these rules about safety and all. But you need to touch and hit the opponent. What if a person is averse to touch? If I were to put Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in a mixer grinder, what will come out is Toofan,” the filmmaker said.

“Unlike the great boxing films you may have seen, Toofan is not just about montages of the tough preparation that the protagonist goes through and some rounds in the ring. It is as much about the emotions involved,” Rakeysh added.

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Touted as an inspirational drama about Aziz Ali, aka Ajju Bhai, from the streets of Dongri, Toofaan is headlined by Farhan Akhtar. It is set against the backdrop of boxing and charts the fall and triumphant comeback of Farhan’s character, Ajju Bhai.