Paan Singh Tomar - Flawless Performance

"The marathon is a charismatic event. It has everything. It has drama. It has competition. It has camaraderie. It has heroism. Every jogger can't dream of being an Olympic champion, but he can dream of finishing a marathon." - Fred Lebow

Cut the damned wind, bring rythm to the breathing, sharp pain run through the legs, every stride reminds of the distance to be covered, and the passion pushing you towards the finish line and then it happened, I finished my first ever International Mararthon in 2004 followed by six more later.


Am I lucky? or am I Lucky? Both the passions of my life offered together at the same time and it was an awesome threesome session for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Me, Marathon and Movies.

Even flawless has flaw in it, but not Irrfan Khan's performance as Paan Singh Tomar, A farmer turned an Indian Army soldier turned seven times National champion in steeplechase turned notorious dacoit. Irrfan is perfect as an Indian Army soldier, long distance athlete and as the dreaded dacoit. The transformation from an athlete (who created records and broke his own records in Indian and International Games) to a dacoit in rusty look just blows your mind. His expressions are priceless as his eyes does most of the acting. You will not be able to take your eyes off him as Irrfan gets into the character.



Some of the scenes leave a lasting impression. One of the best scenes is when Irrfan does a steeplechase alongwith horses. And the movement of his fingers everytime he runs reminding that the athlete is still alive in him.


Irrfan has raised the bar to an all time high. Will Farhan Akhtar be able to meet the standards as Milkha Singh is a thing to watch out for. Tigmanshu Dhulia and Irrfan complement each other with the Director narrating the story with great control and the talented genius portraying the various shades of the unsung Indian sports hero. Mahie Gill as Irrfan's wife does justice to her role. Exquisite narration of the story with a neat blend of drama, humour and tragedy has also earned a place and praises for the movie in British Film Institute London Film Festival.

The regional dialect with some of the superb lines fit the rusty look of the Chambal valley.. Watch Irrfan deliver these lines with great comfort.At the end of the movie you will be left wanting more from this talented genius. Wish we get to see more from this gifted actor.


Abhi bina waqat barbaad kiye, Paan Singh Tomar dekhne chalo, kaho hau