Watch Gold for its supporting cast and lovely cinematography

Written by Anvita Singh | New Delhi | Published: August 17, 2018 5:24:27 pm Gold would have been a complete drag had it not been for its supporting cast. Related News

Akshay Kumar starrer Gold is Reema Kagtis third film as a director, and it does not look like a movie that came from someone whose filmography includes Talaash and Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd. Gold is your generic Bollywood sports drama, with only a few things working in its favour. There are two things that stand out in this typical masala affair – the supporting cast and the exquisite cinematography by Álvaro Gutiérrez.

Golds primary plot is inspired by true events, the sequences that played themselves out prior to the 1948 Olympics where India won its first gold medal as a free country under the leadership of then-captain Balbir Singh. Akshay plays the hockey teams manager Tapan Das, a Bengali man who only seems to care about three things – hockey, his wife Monobina Das (played by television sensation Mouni Roy) and alcohol. The film traces Tapans dream of winning a gold for free India and traces the journey of the team and one mans passion for the game from the year 1936 to 1948 when the country finally won a gold in the finals against Britain.

There is not much in the way of a narrative here; Gold has been told in the vein of Farhan Akhtars Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Its a lovechild of a commercial film and a typical Bollywood sports drama. And the film would have been a complete drag had it not been for its supporting cast. Amit Sadh as Kunwar Raghubir Pratap Singh and Sunny Kaushal as Himmat Singh deliver the goods. Amit charms as the royal who is not used to letting go of the wheels. His body language, the way he speaks, every little thing ties in neatly with his character.

[embedded content]

Sunny Kaushal (Vicky Kaushals brother) gives a credible performance as the angry young Himmat Singh who has a passion for the game. Vineet Kumar Singh (Imtiaz Shah) and Kunal Kapoor as captain Samrat have a quiet presence about them, which goes well with their characters. Mouni Roy as the fiery Bengali woman is decent in the scenes where she is given a chance. She is a bit over-the-top, just like this film.

Gold is a good-looking film, and thats all thanks to Álvaro Gutiérrezs cinematography, which is wonderful at capturing moments and emotions and making them look like pieces of art. Shots of actors playing, and the moment after the team wins the final match and the camera moves in close on Kunals face is a space filled with stunned silence, gratitude and joy. A moment in which both Kunal and Álvaros camera work shine the brightest.