An archive of Hindi movie reviews and ratings from 2010 to 2020.
  • Soorma

    55

    Mixed or average reviews (?)
    Based on 21 critics

    Cast & Crew

    Summary

    This is an inspiring true story of the triumph of the human spirit, about a player who faced a near death experience when he was at his peak but emerged victorious by his sheer determination, hard work and unrelenting passion for the sport. Sandeep Singh, a penalty corner specialist in the Indian Hockey team from Shahbad, Haryana made headlines when he was hit in the spine by an accidental gunshot while travelling on a train to join the national team that was to fly to Germany for the World Cup in 2006. The injury left him paralyzed, with the medical community giving him a slim chance of ever walking again. However, not only did Sandeep recover from it but he also made a comeback and re-established himself as the best drag-flicker, going on to captain the Indian national hockey team in January 2009.

    Trailer

Critic reviews and ratings

  • If you are looking for an unusual story of an unsung hero, go and watch Soorma. Promise, it’s not a glorification of an Indian sportsman on silver screen.

    79

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...by downplaying the genre’s excesses – chest-thumping jingoism, macho aggression, excessive manipulation – and giving its hero enough room to find his place in the world, Soorma ensures that this triumphal journey of the human spirit is full of surprises.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • Shaad Ali has shown maturity as a director by creating the right emotional impact.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • Ali intensifies the falls and amplifies the sufferings to an extent that the inevitable win has a bittersweet tinge. If he could’ve cut down some of the bhangra and a bit of melodrama, this could’ve been a much crisper watch.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • A well made, simple tale, which doesn’t glorify a person just for the sake of cinematic liberty.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • With Soorma, Ali confidently gets to the centre, keeps his impulses under check, and plays it totally narrow, and fully straight. And, yes, he hits home, alright. This is possibly his best work yet.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • At a time when audience seems to have reached a saturation point of sorts as far as sports biopics are concerned, Shaad Ali somehow manages to reinstate people's faith in the genre by staying away from genre's cliches.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • An affecting biopic that, refreshingly, stays grounded and alert to its human beats.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...Diljit Dosanjh's striking self-possession, like the champion he's portraying, doesn't let it come in the way of a performance that screams g-o-a-l.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • After all, sports films meant to be electric and rousing. However, it’s this gentle ordinariness and Shaad Ali’s restrained approach that make Soorma appealing.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...is laced with a promising plot but the weak execution hampers the impact.

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • The biopic is delicious in the first half, but the predictability of the second half brings it down.

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • In choosing to show the personal side, the professional aspects get short shrift, and that’s where the film doesn’t score as well.

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • A potentially uplifting story made ordinary and flat by this style of narration.

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • Writers Shaad Ali, Suyash Trivedi and Siva Ananth gently follow a linear narrative to recount Singh’s story but the screenplay feels rather lazy and the drama of Singh’s inspirational story is barely felt.

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...Bollywood just doesn't do sports well. Its rules militate against the genre. Soorma, a wasted opportunity, demonstrates why and how.

    39

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...doesn’t attempt to probe beyond the obvious, even if you don’t know the real story. With 131-minute duration, Soorma presents Sandeep as the ultimate boy scout. A tinge of reality wouldn’t have hurt.

    39

    Critic rating (?)

  • The film falls supremely short of harnessing dramatic potential and is just another hackneyed run-of-the-mill biopic. A champion is turned into a colourless Bollywood hero.

    39

    Critic rating (?)

  • Here is one of the best stories celebrating will, talent and love for the game. But did you do it against Pakistan? No? Please close the door on your way out. Next candidate please.

    39

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...has good intentions but not sufficient emotional heft.

    39

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...but just when it needed to give us an inside view of Sandeep Singh’s life, it inexplicably decides to become an aloof observer.

    39

    Critic rating (?)

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