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หนัง Azhar “Azhar” is based on a few highly talked about incidents and facts in Azhar’s life, Azharuddin, who ended up becoming the country’s most controversial sportsman yet. From setting world records that are yet to be broken, to getting embroiled in the first ever match fixing scandal the country witnessed, the film traces Azhar’s insurmountable highs and his tremendous lows.
The film begins with Azhar as a young child from a middle class home in Hyderabad who dreams of becoming a cricketer and captures his entry on sheer merit in the professional arena of Indian cricket as a teenager. Drawing parallels with his personal and professional life, we are introduced to a young and shy Azharwho’s arranged marriage with Naureen throws light on his private world that was forever closed to the media and the public glare.
His rise as the captain of Indian cricket team shows us the metamorphoses of the man who enjoys a flamboyant life style and has become accustomed to the adulation of fans and the media. At this point, Sangeeta enters the scene. Azhar’s eventual marriage with the actress changes his life forever.
Even as Azhar is set to create a record of having played 100 test matches, the biggest twist in his career comes when he is accused of being involved in the match fixing scandal. The first ever controversy of this magnitude, witnessed by the country, cuts short his career bringing him much shame and ignominy.
From being labelled a living legend, Azhar becomes an accused. How that change happens and what Azhar goes through when faced with life-damning allegations- form the crux of the story. Though the film is not a biopic, for the first time, Azhar, the film, provides us with the inner view of a much publicized life and times, of the cricketing hero who fell from grace and changed the gentleman’s game forever.
