Saala Khadoos: A riveting show

CAST: Madhavan & Ritika Singh
RATED: 7/10
She’s a Chennai ki machhli wali and he is Delhi ka out of run boxing coach. She is all bindas, bahadurand bohemian and he all anger, frustration and sarcasm. The two meet and a lot of boxing happens, eventually.
That she (Ritika Singh) is a real-time kickboxer and a mixed martial artist shows up in her demeanour on the screen where she plays a reluctant pugilist.
So, Ritika as this much-derided coach’s protégé is a perfect choice for this role. She shows she has the kick and the punch to act, even if she could not deliver much of a punch in the Asian Games and similar competitions. She has the looks and the screen presence which, along with Madhavan’s seasoned histrionics, makes this one a movie to be with.
But it’s not all because of the crackling chemistry between these two that the film clicks. It clicks because it is no-nonsense about the subject it is dealing with, slick in presentation, punchy in its storyline and very well crafted.
The sport of boxing, along with all its malaise has been put on screen with some amount of good research. The ills that assail India’s sports in federations across all sports, the sexual harassment of the aspiring sportswomen, the witchhunt of good boxers — everything has been laid bare in this well-made and well meaning film.
The song and dance is apt and almost to the point, much like the rivalry shown between the two boxer sisters. The editing is scissor perfect and the locales just what the art director ordered for.
All together, quite a show this one, especially the love angle which remains unsaid on one side at least. 
Source: 31 January, 2016 , The Sunday Pioneer

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