Paan Singh Tomar is a good film, with some excellent moments and definitely worth a watch. Having said that, there are aspects of it that stop it from being considered in the exalted company of great cinema.
For one, the editing is a choppy in bits, moving from one scene to another rather abruptly. The titular characters motivations after achieving his main objective as a 'Baaghi' was not sketched out with one having to wonder, why does he keep doing this, what is the end goal. He's shown in too much of a positive light, which is a stark contrast to his actions. Probably, those bits were left on the editing table to make the film compact, but given the other wonderful aspects of the movie, you do wish that it was included somehow to give the story a sense of completeness.
Now coming to the good parts. Irrfan, excellent as always. The way he emotes through his eyes and body language is probably the best in the industry, if not one of the best in the world. You can feel Paan Singh's pain, anger, fleeting joys and viciousness radiating out of him, even in silence. Although, I did express qualms about the choppy editing and missing bits, the overall story is well paced and told, at no moment, lagging in pace. The side characters do a good enough job in sketchy parts, but the movie about Paan Singh Tomar, sticks completely around the central character throughout the duration, and with Irrfan playing it to such excellence, I doubt if anyone would complain.
Overall, it is a good film, that could have been an excellent film but for a few minor blips. Given the usual fare of movies, this definitely rises above the crowd.
For one, the editing is a choppy in bits, moving from one scene to another rather abruptly. The titular characters motivations after achieving his main objective as a 'Baaghi' was not sketched out with one having to wonder, why does he keep doing this, what is the end goal. He's shown in too much of a positive light, which is a stark contrast to his actions. Probably, those bits were left on the editing table to make the film compact, but given the other wonderful aspects of the movie, you do wish that it was included somehow to give the story a sense of completeness.
Now coming to the good parts. Irrfan, excellent as always. The way he emotes through his eyes and body language is probably the best in the industry, if not one of the best in the world. You can feel Paan Singh's pain, anger, fleeting joys and viciousness radiating out of him, even in silence. Although, I did express qualms about the choppy editing and missing bits, the overall story is well paced and told, at no moment, lagging in pace. The side characters do a good enough job in sketchy parts, but the movie about Paan Singh Tomar, sticks completely around the central character throughout the duration, and with Irrfan playing it to such excellence, I doubt if anyone would complain.
Overall, it is a good film, that could have been an excellent film but for a few minor blips. Given the usual fare of movies, this definitely rises above the crowd.