Name: Ghoomer (2023)
Genre: Sport, Drama
Released: 2023-08-18
Rating: 6.8
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Saiyami Kher, Angad Bedi, Shabana Azmi, Amitabh Bachchan

Inspired by Karoly Takacs’ incredible achievement, the film follows special athletes who have achieved more than when they were called "normal".

Ghoomer (2023)

Times of India

News18

Taran Adarsh

Pinkvilla

Firstpost

R Balki’s Ghoomer, prioritises magic over logic (also a fantastic monologue by Abhishek), to tell a tale of human resilience and vulnerability. The film is inspired by the story of Károly Takács, the late Hungarian right-hand shooter who won two Olympic gold medals with his left hand after his other hand was seriously injured. Barring a few like Jayprad Desai’s outstanding cricket biopic ‘Kaun Pravin Tambe?’ (2022), Indian sports movies have largely been limited to the formulaic rags-to-riches theme. Politics within the team, team selection process and financial struggles of an athlete have dominated the narrative. R Balki’s Ghoomer breaks this template to give you a poignant and powerful tale on human resilience through cricket.
In true Balki style, gender and age-related roles, superstitions and stereotypes are dismissed seamlessly. Shabana Azmi brimming with a youthful spirit plays Anina’s cricket expert granny. A self-proclaimed Roger Federer fan (which the senior actress is in real life, too), her character’s knowledge of ICC cricket rules and regulations, cricket trivia and technique to recipes of health drinks for pro athletes, works well to shatter the notion that women don’t get statistics. This makes you wonder, why female cricket enthusiasts predominantly end up as cricket anchors and not experts.
The tortured yet endearing relationship between the rude coach and his player, is a common trope. Paddy resorting to a cruel training-toxic coach approach, is predictable but effective (remember Whiplash?). The film gains from their fiery conversations and differences. Paddy (Padam Singh Sodhi), is a loner who drowns his sorrows in a secluded house. His strange encounter with Anina changes their course of lives. He offers to train her so she could re-enter the Indian team as a one-handed bowler. He reminds himself, “Winners ko kaisay lagta hai, yeh ek baar mehsoos karna hai.” What makes the disgruntled misfit help Anina and transform her weakness into strength, forms the story.
Paddy shares a strange relationship with the women in his life. This includes his house help, transwoman Rasika (feisty Ivanka Das) and an aspiring cricketer battling a life-altering disability. We hear of his good deeds through Rasika, but that side of him is long buried under a brutally impolite, ill-mannered persona. The only time he refrains from passing a barrage of snide remarks is when he’s sleeping. Years of rejection have turned his anger into stoic silence. He remembers, “I dreamt of playing for India one day and I played for India only for a day.”
Meryl Streep’s introduction in the ‘Only Murders’… series as an actress who was never successful, sums up Paddy’s character. “All in pursuit of a moment in the spotlight, where you hope someone might see you and say, “where have you been”. What if those magic words never come and it's only rejection, over and over again?” It takes courage for an actor to play a character that speaks his truth. Underrated for too long, Ghoomer gives Abhishek his due. He bowls the best delivery of his career. The self-reflection makes it all the more real.
The fact that Saiyami Kher is a cricketer-turned-actress, makes her the best choice for this extremely challenging part. One-handed bowling with just the left arm is no cakewalk but she nails it. Her athletic physique, stance and cricketing shots are impeccable. Her showdown with coach Paddy and boyfriend Jeet (Angad Bedi) are the film’s most moving scenes. Saiyami breathes life into a role that didn't require her to wallow in self-pity and yet make her trauma seen. Shabana Azmi’s majestic presence and timing, is a treat to watch.
Ghoomer is elevated by its performances but its soul lies in R. Balki, Rahul Sengupta and Rishi Virmani’s uplifting writing that makes you both teary-eyed and chuckle. “Woh leftie nahi left hi hai” says Paddy to Rasika describing Anina. Characters are refreshingly supportive, non-judgmental, unpretentious and good-hearted.
The film struggles a bit towards the end. It gets a tad predictable and crowd pleasing (match portions) as the creative liberties get a bit excessive. Can India’s national cricket team give its much coveted spot to a one-armed spin bowler, who cannot bat or field properly? Is media attention and the equal opportunity stance of selectors enough to bend the rules? The artistic license is aplenty but Ghoomer consciously chooses magic, hope and second chances. Your mind takes a sudden jolt when thinking, "What happens when everything's taken away from you in a span of few minutes? "Kisisay koi cheez bewaja cheeni jaye, woh galat hai." You can tell how obsessed Abhishek, Saiyami and Balki are about cricket while watching this one.

Sports movies by their very nature tend to be predictable, formulaic affairs. They seldom deviate from traditional narratives such as the rise of an underdog, the comeback of a temporary waylaid, the transformation of a rebel star into a team player, and the redemption of a tireless, committed coach who wants to give their life another chance through someone else.

R Balki’s Ghoomer uses cricket as a metaphor to tell the story of a woman cricketer who rises against all odds, but in the process of telling this story, the director fails to rise above the clichés of the genre. Nevertheless, he does succeed in creating a credible world and, thanks to affecting performances from its principal players, gives us characters that we can care about.

Inspired by the story of Károly Takács, the late Hungarian right-hand shooter who won two Olympic gold medals with his left hand after his other hand was seriously injured, Balki gives you a poignant and powerful tale of human resilience through cricket.
Anina (Saiyami Kher) is on her path to becoming a famous woman cricket player (by representing India); her abilities are aided by being a good batswoman and her family including her grandma (Shabana Azmi), father (Shivendra Singh Dungarpur) and boyfriend (Angad Bedi). On a few occasions, an inebriated former bowler named Padam Singh Sodhi aka Paddy (Abhishek Bachchan) violently bursts her ideal bubble. Soon after, Anina has a freak accident that causes her to lose her right arm, further entwining her life with Sodhi’s.

Although the idea is lovely, the narrative comes across as convenient and occasionally even confusing because certain emotions are overrepresented especially in the first half. The emotional stakes appear flimsy. Like, the final match that they play in the film is shown to make Anina look like the hero. To highlight Anina’s abilities despite her limitations, the final match’s handy narrative downplays the strengths of her other teammates. Despite a promising beginning, the game turns out to be pretty gimmicky.
The second half significantly improves the screenplay and an emotional commitment to the characters’ journey. Once the film enters the sports montage and underdog journey territory, it’s on surer footing. The director takes care of the technicalities of cricket without delving into them too much. And the sprinkles of humour throughout the film help ease the intensity.

The story does not have any twists and turns and runs on predictability. It is to Balki’s credit that he still holds the audience’s interest right down to the last ball and a lot of credit goes to the actors who bring the story to life with zealous honesty.

It helps that Kher has excellent form as a batsman since we can sense Anina’s unwavering devotion to the game. She is convincing because of her love for the game off the camera also. Kher’s performance is endearing even outside of the pitch, and her connection with Azmi gives the movie a deeper perpective. Anina is devastated and angry after experiencing a great loss and learning that she might never be able to play cricket again; an expressive Kher effectively conveys both sides of her anguish.
Bachchan looks every bit the disgruntled coach and takes the cake when it comes to being grumpy all the time. He is an ideal example of the archetypal mentor figure since he has turned into a brazen recluse as a result of getting the raw deal in life. He speaks quickly to everyone; he encounters and drowns all his sorrows in a bottle of whiskey every night. He shares a home with his rakhi sister Rasika (Ivanka Das), as both of them share a love-hate relationship. His depiction of a damaged alcoholic, a fatally flawed and wounded soul, fighting his inner demons, is captivating especially the monologue sequence where he agrees to be a loser all his life and wants to taste victory just once.
Azmi, as usual, is first rate and even she has her moments in the film. Bedi and Dungarpur lend good support to the film. Amitabh Bahchan’s cameo will leave a smile on your face.

Ghoomer sticks to familiar ground as far as a sports film goes, Amidst all the faux sentimentality, we still get a protagonist that we can’t help rooting for. That is the film’s real success.


Ghoomer is a compelling sports-drama that hits the boundary… #RBalki thinks out of the box, #Ghoomer also takes you on a journey that’s heartwarming and inspiring. #GhoomerReview

#AbhishekBachchan stands tall, delivers a remarkable performance. At par with his exceptional act in #Guru… #SaiyamiKher is top notch, portrays the trauma and the determination to fight back with utmost conviction… #ShabanaAzmi excels yet again.

The only glitch is its release timing, with #Gadar2, #OMG2 and #Jailer [in South] doing wonders at the ticket windows… #Ghoomer will have to rely on word of mouth to carry it forward.

Irrespective of its #BO earnings, watch #Ghoomer, a film that’s sure to inspire viewers from all walks of life.

In the trailer of R Balki’s Ghoomer, Abhishek Bachchan - who plays ex-cricketer Paddy - says, “Life logic ka khel nahin hai, yeh life magic ka khel hai”, and this line sets the tone for this soon-to-release sports-drama, which besides AB junior is also headlined by Shabana Azmi, Saiyami Kher, Angad Bedi and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. While the mind struggles to keep logic at bay in this emotional drama, it is the heart that surpasses that to empathize with the journeys of two athletes, who find each other in times of despair. 
Each and every actor has played their part to the T. Abhishek Bachchan as Paddy is outstanding, and I wish we see him onscreen more often taking up such characters that allows him to portray an array of emotions. Saiyami Kher’s portrayal of Anina is subtle yet impactful, and I really believe she is one of the most underrated artists of our time. Shabana Azmi does justice to her role, though I wish the writers had given her character more active participation in Anina’s post accident prep, which would have made her part more wholesome. Angad Bedi lends able support with a likable and dependable character, and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur is endearing as Anina’s father.  
Some verdicts are hard to give. While the heart leans towards the emotions, the mind is unable to completely ignore the flaws. In both situations, what stays consistent is the human connection with the overall story, and that I think is why you should watch Ghoomer.

The magic of Ghoomer is definitely going to touch the hearts of all. R Balki’s filmmaking has the power to make you feel all the emotions at the same time whether it is happiness or sadness. The performance of Saiyami Kher will steal your heart and will teach all that with perseverance you can achieve anything and everything in life even with just one hand. Ghoomer revolves around Anina, a young batting prodigy, who loses her right hand in an accident.

The story goes this way, a night before making her debut in the Indian cricket team, Anina (Saiyami Kher) loses her right arm to an accident. The best thing about this movie is that it makes you believe in the unbelievable. And then again it doesn’t make you lose your concentration in the magic of the Ghoomer. R Balki has a unique style of his own and is a true master maker in making cinema with no bias on gender or ageism.

When you are in the hands of a good director, you are bound to see brilliant performances. Who would have thought that Saiyami Kher will give such a dedicated performance. The fact that she is a cricketer turned actress she was able to give a genuine performance and do justice to a physically demanding role. And as for Abhishek Bachchan, I would say it is his comeback film. Ghoomer is going to be a gamechanger for him. Slowly and steadily, Abhishek is learning the craft and we all hope that he doesn’t get lost in the maze of Ghoomer.

Shabana Azmi is known for her craft and here she plays the role of a grandma who is an expert in understanding cricket and takes true interest in her granddaughter’s performances. Her knowledge about rules and history of cricket is spot on. She knows it all like the back of her palm. Azmi is shown as a Roger Federer fan who believes in the Stoic philosophy of suppression of emotion. An expert in cricket appreciation, she without fail makes spinach, ginger, celery and lemon juice for her granddaughter which she believes will help her focus in her game. Ghoomer gives emphasis on training our minds before training our bodies.

Anina’s grandma truly believes that her granddaughter has the potential to make it big in the world of women’s cricket. Grandma is definitely not ready to settle down with anything mediocre for her granddaughter. She thinks if you can have a batsman who cannot bowl in a team, why is it that you cannot have a bowler who cannot bat.

Paddy (Abhishek Bachchan), Anina’s coach is a hard taskmaster and is unapologetically toxic when it comes to teaching bowling to a woman who has just lost her hand and has been a batsman. His career came to a halt because of an on-field injury and was never given  a chance to play. Ghoomer makes you think about those sportsmen who are not given  a second chance to prove themselves due to on-field injuries just like our soldiers. It is this rejection that makes Paddy the impolite person that he is.

Paddy shares a very peculiar relationship with Anina and is verbally abusive too. And not just her student Anina, but to his house help too, he is rude and harsh. There is a backstory to his life as to why he is the way he is. But he is the one who makes Anina believe that with just one hand, she can be a bowler for the Indian cricket team. It is he who teaches her to come out of self-pity and fight like a fighter.

Ghoomer is an inspiration from the real-life story of the late Hungarian shooter Karoly Takacs, who won a gold medal in the rapid fire pistol event at the 1948 London Olympics with his left hand after his other hand was seriously injured. The film teaches you to dream big and it is the faith in your dreams that will give it a start. So, believe in yourself first and in those who have belief in you!

Abhishek Bachchan is an actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He made his debut with the 2000 war film Refugee. He then went on to appear in major blockbusters such as Bunty Aur Babli, Dostana and the Dhoom film series. Bachchan has won several awards and accolades for his performances including the Filmfare, the National Film Award, IIFA, Stardust and the Screen Awards.His performances in Yuva, Guru and Sarkar has repeatedly earned him critical acclaim. Abhishek is the son of legendary actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.

Abhishek Bachchan

Saiyami Kher is an actress who made her Bollywood debut with the 2016 film Mirzya. She has also worked in Tollywood and the Marathi film industry. Her performances have earned her the Stardust and the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards within a short span of time.

Saiyami Kher

Son of iconic Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi, Angad Bedi is a popular actor, model and host. He made his Bollywood debut in 2011 with F.A.L.T.U. He went on to feature in movies like Ungli, Pink and Dear Zindagi. Apart from big screen, Angad was also seen in popular reality show Bigg Boss 9 and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa season 9. He has also been a professional cricketer.

Angad Bedi

Shabana Azmi

The global icon, Amitabh Bachchan is one of the biggest superstars of Bollywood movies. Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, the actor became a rage in Indian cinema during the 1970’s & 80’s with his “angry young man” image & still continues to dominate the showbiz with his exceptional star power. The “Shehenshah” of Bollywood is best known for his movies like Deewar (1975), Sholay (1975), Zanjeer (1973), Agneepath (1990), Silsila (1981), Sarkaar (2005), Paa (2009) & Pink (2016). He made his Hollywood debut in 2013 with The Great Gatsby.

Ghoomer (2023)(2023)