Review

4/10Critic Score

Emtiaz Ali's "Azhar" had all the ingredients for a compelling sports drama—a real-life scandal, a talented protagonist fighting for redemption, and the inherent drama of cricket's politics. Instead, it squanders these elements with a frustratingly muddled narrative that can't decide whether it's a biopic, a courtroom thriller, or a romance. Emraan Hashmi does what he can with the lead role, bringing intensity to the match-fixing accusations and courtroom sequences, but even his committed performance can't salvage a script that glosses over crucial details and manufactures emotional beats that feel unearned. The film's obsession with Azhar's relationship drama and a sanitized version of his personal life dilutes the actual scandal at its core.

The direction lacks clarity and purpose—flashbacks to his childhood feel obligatory rather than illuminating, the romance subplot actively works against the narrative momentum, and the climactic court verdict arrives without sufficient tension or stakes. What should have been a cutting examination of corruption in Indian cricket becomes a melodramatic exercise in victimhood. The supporting cast, including Prithviraj Sukumaran as his lawyer, tries hard but works with material that doesn't give them much to work with. Even the cricket sequences, which should electrify, feel repetitive and poorly choreographed.

Rating: 4/10

— Arjun Nair, Bollyhits ↗

Storyline

So basically this movie is about this cricket legend named Azhar who's living his best life until everything comes crashing down when he gets accused of match-fixing. Some shady bookie from London gets his name tangled up in this whole scandal, and the cricket board just straight-up bans him for life. He's got to fight back in court with his lawyer buddy to clear his name and get justice.

The film then takes you way back to show how Azhar's journey began as a kid in Hyderabad with this beautiful dream his grandfather plants in his head. His grandfather passes away right before Azhar's big selection match in Mumbai, but instead of giving up, Azhar plays the match anyway to honor his memory. He absolutely crushes it and makes it into the national team, then goes on to become this massive cricket hero by scoring centuries in his first three test matches. Life's looking pretty sweet at this point!

Things get interesting when Azhar gets promoted to captain after India loses to Pakistan, which is honestly a huge deal but also super controversial. Not everyone's happy about it because some of the older, more experienced players think he's too young and inexperienced to be calling the shots. But he's got supporters too who believe in him, and he's determined to prove himself in this leadership role.

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