Panga

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Jassie Gill, Richa Chadha, Neena Gupta

Writer/Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

Producer/s: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

Plot:

Panga Movie Review Rating: 3/5 Stars (Three stars)

Star Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Richa Chadha, Neena Gupta

Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

What’s Good: Pint-sized Yagya Bhasin delivers a monumental performance, subduing the drama, yet another relatable character nailed by Kangana

What’s Bad: Fights a constant battle between sports & drama, and unfortunately just one of it wins

Loo Break: Maybe in the second half, during the matches, because you’ll already know who’s winning

Watch or Not?: Read it out & clarify what do you actually look for in a sports-drama

User Rating:

The story revolves around the catchphrase of “every mother deserves a second chance!” We have Jaya Nigam (Kangana Ranaut) who once led the India Women’s National Kabaddi Team and now is just any other mother. She’s living with the burden of what she could’ve made of her life and what she instead chose. She says, “Main kya kar sakti thi aur main kya kar rahi hoon?” to her very supportive husband Prashant (Jassie Gill) and there you feel the pain.

Jaya reunites with her old friend Meenu (Richa Chadha) who used to play Kabbadi with her and is still a successful coach. She decides to make a comeback (for a month) just to fulfill his son’s wish but finds her lost-self and never turns back. It’s all about her efforts to make it to the national team, once again, years later.

Panga Movie Review: Script Analysis

Love the way how Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari treats the slice-of-life aspects of her story, they’re closest to the reality. The first half is filled with very smart and situational humour which grasps your attention. Though I had a complaint about not exploring the ‘sports angle’ much in the first half, the real problem started when they actually did. When Hockey was highlighted as a mainstream sport in Chak De India! we loved it because it had thrills.

Here, Kabaddi remains too formulaic and predictable. Ironically, same as Street Dancer 3D, Panga too suffers the problem of “we know who’ll win, give us the thrills?” Ashwiny loses the balance between sports & story in the second half which stretches the narrative.

Panga Movie Review: Star Performance

Jaya is right up Kangana Ranaut’s alley. She effortlessly portrays the character without any flaws and shines as an actor. It’s her way of underplaying the role the relates us the most with her character. Surely, one of her bests performances. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari exploits Jassie Gill for his million-dollar smile. His smile just lits up the dark cinema hall and it’s pretty contagious. He acts well guy somewhere I wish I could’ve seen more of him.

Yagya Bhasin, as Kangana & Jassie’s son, is the real hero of the film. Interestingly, Ashwiny & Nikhil Mehrotra pen some of the most hilarious dialogues for him and he delivers with similar confidence. Richa Chadha is pretty but plain. She lacks the zing of a sportsperson and just doesn’t come across one. Neena Gupta is adorable! In just a couple of scenes, she proves how she can mould any character to her taste.

Panga Box Office Review: Star Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Richa Chadha, Neena Gupta, Rajesh Tailang

Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

Producer: Fox Star Studios

Panga Box Office Review: Expectations

Kangana Ranaut enjoys quite a good fan following. After Manikarnika & Judgementall Hai Kya, she comes back at the Box Office with Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s Panga. The film doesn’t fall in that commercial zone but it has that feel good and inspiring feel which is expected to work for it. Also, Ashwini’s last film Bareilly Ki Barfi was a sleeper hit so this one is expected to follow the same route as well.

Panga Box Office Review: Impact

Panga was never expected to take a good opening and that’s what has happened today. I watched the film in quite a cold auditorium which hardly enjoyed 20% occupancy and that too in a noon show. The overall occupancy rate of All India has been far lower.

But does the film has any scope of growth? Yes, it does.

Panga is surely one of the good films released at the Indian Box Office recently. The story of a mother and ex Kabaddi international player who is still struggling to bury her dreams moves you. While she is clearly craving for a comeback, everyone around her apart from her own self knows it.

With motivation from her son, support from her husband and coaching from her friend, she finally takes the Panga and quits her job. She moves to another state alone. Yes, without her son and husband. But is everything worth it? Well, the end is predictable but it’s all about how she does it and not about whether she does it.

Now coming to that part, Panga will make you smile, it will make you feel good, inspired and emotional too but doesn’t create the required impact. While the film has many merits which make it a deserving watch, the one biggest factor that it lacks is that it doesn’t shake you enough to leave you teary-eyed. The lack of lustrous music of the film is another low key where it falters.

But it’s the performances which still make Panga a beautiful film to watch. Kangana Ranaut as Jaya shines throughout and proves her mettle again. As a mother and as a sportswoman, she rocks both sides of her character effortlessly.

Jassie Gill gives a lovely performance. He plays a beautifully written character and it makes your heart warm most of the times.

Yagya Bhasin plays their son and he is simply adorable. This child actor is surely going far because he has a good actor in him.

Richa Chadha lends able support and so does Neena Gupta.

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s direction is good but not suited for the genre. She must take some tips from Nitesh Tiwari who directed a similar kind of film Dangal around 2 years back. There was something in that film which made it historic. Something which lacks in Panga largely.

Panga Box Office Review: Final Verdict

Panga will do fairly well at the Box Office. The film has taken a low start but it will reach a decent lifetime total of 40-50 crores.

The potential of the film was of course far more but the screenplay will restrict it heavily. Then there’s a clash of Panga with Street Dancer 3D as well and on top of that Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior is still doing well in major territory like Maharashtra.

Android & IOS users, download our mobile app for faster than ever Bollywood & Box Office updates!

Panga Trailer Review: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari made her directorial debut in Bollywood with highly acclaimed Nil Battey Sannata. The film wasn’t a Box Office success but she did that with Bareilly Ki Barfi which received appreciation from critics as well as the audience.

Now, she is back with another promising film Panga starring Kangana Ranaut and Jassie Gill in lead. The film speaks about women empowerment and its trailer hit the internet world yesterday.

Panga is about a former Indian Kabaddi women team captain who is now a wife and a mom. The film talks about how she takes a Panga of making a comeback as a Kabaddi player against all odds.

Even though the film has a hard-hitting and emotional story, the trailer fails to leave the desired impact on the audience. It won’t be wrong to say at this stage that the trailer hasn’t been cut well because it doesn’t show anything which hasn’t been seen in films like Mary Kom before.

Kangana Ranaut is a good actress and she seems to have done well here as well. But if the trailer had at least 2 or 3 moments showing the remarkable side of her as an actress, it would’ve been better. Jassie Gill has played a simple, loving and supporting husband and dad. He’s such a big star in Punjabi film and music industry and therefore has done quite a daring act to underplay in this film. However, this risk can pay him off well if his character and performance come out in a good way.

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari is the filmmaker we trust. Even though it’s an average trailer, I expect Panga to be a better movie simply because she has made it. But a good trailer is always the basic requirement to create a first and strong impression in front of the audience.

All eyes are now on the music of the film and probably on the second trailer if the team comes up with any.

Trailer Rating: 3/5

Android & IOS users, download our mobile app for faster than ever Bollywood & Box Office updates!