Toofan trailer: Farhan Akhtar abandons thug life for boxing in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra film

Amazon Prime Video today unveiled the trailer of Farhan Akhtar-led sports drama, Toofaan, today. The film marks Akhtar and director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s second collaboration after Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Akhtar plays Aziz Ali, a thug who usually goes by the name Ajju Bhai. He gets into brawls, bullies and intimidates people, but eventually learns that people cowering in fear at the sight of him does not equate to respect. He eventually finds a purpose in boxing. Coached by Nana Prabhu (Paresh Rawal), Ali becomes a renowned boxer in the athletic world. His romantic interest Pooja (Mrunal Thakur) also motivates him to lead a life of honesty. A press release describes Toofan as a “a tale of hope, faith and inner strength fuelled by passion and perseverance.” The supporting cast also includes Supriya Pathak Shah, Mohan Agashe, Darshan Kumaar, Vijay Raaz, and Hussain Dalal. Toofaan to be the first film to simultaneously premiere on Amazon Prime Video in Hindi and English on 16 July. Watch the trailer here

Akhtar, who once again appears as a ripped sportsperson onscreen spoke about how challenging it was to get under the skin of his character. He said in a statement: “Toofaan is a true labour of love and no matter how physically strong one is, stepping into the shoes of a boxer is a whole new ball game. It took 8 to 9 months of rigorous training for me to get into the skin character and it made me realize how physically, mentally and emotionally demanding the sport actually is.”