Review : Love All : Sports drama laced with social message!
India is a sports loving country but it’s management is below par because most of the sports bodies are run by political entities who seldom want the said sport or players to prosper. Instead they, who might not have played the game in a lifetme, want to prosper economically playing power games. Power and economics play crucial role in selection and many a times deserving players do not get a chance play in competitive tournaments. Love All movie tries to underline this stark reality in the movie while showing a super talented badminton player’s journey, though unsuccessful due to politician’s and sports bodies’ misdeeds.
In most of the sports dramas a protagonist’s ‘come back’ is shown in a dramatic manner. But Love All treads on a different path. A super talented and successful badminton player from Bhopal, #SiddharthSharma (#AyKayMenon) (a younger Siddharth is played by a real badminton player) is a victim of a politician and sports authorities’ partiality. As he is unstoppable in important tournament on court, he is attacked by goons outside the court so that he stays away from the sport. This disillusions him and the financial crunch compels him to take up a job as a Khalashi (labourer on a ship). He starts detesting all sports and keeps his son Aditya (Ark Jain) away from anything connected with any sport. His wife Jaya (Shirswara Dubey) initially doesn’t mind that but while taking an admission in a school in Bhopal, where sports class is compulsory, goes against her husband’s wish and enrolls her son keeping her husband in dark. It so happens that the class teacher, (Swastika Mukherjee), suggests them to take up Badminton, who happens to be Siddharth’s ex girlfriend. One day Siddarth finds out about his son playing Badminton, despite his ban on him playing any sport, all hell breaks loose. What happens next forms the crux of the story.
The story is about rise of a sportsman through his son is inspiring. The screenplay is well etched out but the production values should have been much better. The badminton matches are interesting enough to hold viewer’s attention. Kay Kay Menon stands tall in the performance department. He brings forth the frustration and the embittering convincingly. His ease in front of the camera is a lesson to all the budding actors, if not some existing. Swastika Mukherjee looks beautiful and delivers a sweet performance. Shirswara Dubey underplays very well while child actor Ark Jain shows the oscillating emotions nicely.
Love All tries to focus on player’s mindset on ploticians and sports bodies’ unsportsmanlike behaviour. Definitely a one time watch.
Rating : ***1/2