‘Ghoomer’: Harsha Bhogle reviews Abhishek Bachchan and Saiyami Kher starrer; shares why he was uneasy

Indian cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, who recently watched R Balki’s ‘Ghoomer’, reviewed the film on social media. He shared how he was apprehensive before watching the Abhishek Bachchan and Saiyami Kher starrer but all his apprehensions and uneasiness were put to rest as the film was wonderful.

In a video posted on Twitter, Harsha said, ‘I went to see a movie recently and I went with a combination of excitement and unease. A little bit of unease, because I didn't know how I'd react to film where I knew a lot of people in it. I've known Balki for a long time. There's been a debate in the house or whether we like Cheeni Kum more or Paa more. I was always on the Paa side, my wife was on Cheeni Kum side. I've been invested in Sayami Kher's performance as she is an outstanding anchor and also a cricketer. I wanted to see how she combined the two. So I was a little confused about how I'd react to the film with people that I knew in it.’

He added, ‘I was also a little concerned about how the cricket would be shot. We've all seen sports movies where the emotion is built up, the drama is built up and then suddenly the sport starts and you say, yeah, they tried to teach the actor cricket but it's not working. Within the first ten minutes or so, that first fear was gone.’

He said that Saiyyami was making all the right moves and he was soon fascinated with how Balki focused on the little things carefully.

‘It's not just Saiyyami - who is a proper cricketer. She's an actor, but she's also a proper cricketer. So there was never going to be any doubt about that, but also on how the rest of the characters play. When there's an India-England game, they're all cricketers playing and he (Balki) didn't compromise on that. That gives the movie a touch of authenticity,’ he said.

He added that Saiyyami being an actor as well as a cricketer helped her bring all the nuances of her character and make it all look authentic.

Talking about Abhishek's performance, Harsha said, ‘Then there was Abhishek Bachchan. I think he lives the role of the coach. Sometimes you can have a coach who's trying to motivate a player, whether it's the hard way or the soft way, but sometimes the lines can appear a little straight out of a motivational lecture. I love the way Abhishek married the two into his character. I could recognize a couple of cricketers within the character that Abhishek plays, but I'll leave it for you to decide. But needless to say, he is outstanding especially in the first half.’

Harsha then said that the film is about hope, more than anything else. He added that he liked the fact that the film does not ‘talk down women's cricket’, or other issues that plague our society. He wrapped up his video saying that he is not a reviewer but he loved the way the story of a Hungarian athlete was woven into the Indian setup and the language of cricket was chosen for the same.

‘Ghoomer’ is set to release in theatres on August 18.

Also Watch | Alia Bhatt talks about her 'happy place', how she stays positive amid trolling