Why Toolsidas Junior is not just ‘yet another Bollywood sports film’

Sports films world over engage a few familiar tropes. Bollywood films in this genre are no different. The underdog’s victory (Iqbal, 2005), a bunch of misfits banding together for glory ( Lagaan : Once Upon a Time in India, 2001), coming of age ( Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar , 1992), a hard-nosed coach chasing a cause ( Chak De! India , 2007; Dangal, 2016), or the comeback kid (Sultan, 2016; Toofaan, 2021). Pick any sports flick, there’s probably a trope there. Toolsidas Junior , a new drama centred around snooker, tells the story of a 13-year-old who watches his brilliant but alcoholic father’s humiliating defeat in a championship final. He sets himself the improbable target of winning the tournament to restore his dad’s glory and finds an unlikely mentor along the way.

This may sound like the classic underdog story with the wasted genius’ redemptive arc thrown in — sports film clichés you may have seen many times. But writer-director Mridul Mahendra delivers a heartwarming, dripping-with-nostalgia film for children that’s neither message-heavy nor infantilising — both rarities in the Indian children’s cinema scene. The film is bound to be appreciated by grown-ups as well.

The film draws heavily from Mahendra’s life and is a triumphant effort at storytelling. It beautifully packs a multifaceted part of his past recounted through the journey of Midi (a delightful Varun Buddhadev), his 13-year-old protagonist. The film observes a son’s perspective of his flawed father and the loving bond they share. It offers an honest depiction of the struggles and stigma around alcoholism in an Indian middle-class family, and how it impacts familial relationships. The narrative also serves as a window to the memories of growing up. Of siblings, friends, and crushes, harmless pranks and mischief, set in the nostalgic, charming, old world of the ‘90s Kolkata, Midi’s home. More significantly, it’s a gentle lesson in honesty and integrity.

The film opens at the 1994 Calcutta Sports Club Snooker Championship semifinal match. Midi, flanked by his mother and older brother Goti, watches his father Toolsidas’ flawless and mesmerising victory. It’s established right on that he is Midi’s idol, a loving family man, and an affable person. But a swig or two later, he cuts a sorry figure. He falters on his promises to his wife, fumbles and embarrasses himself in public, and has to be lugged home by his underage son. His reputation as a drunk costs Toolsidas the tournament trophy against a wily competitor. A disheartened Midi decides to defend his father’s name by winning the championship even though he is neither qualified nor eligible to play against the pros. Little Midi’s struggle to get to the snooker table — both literally and figuratively — leads him to a series of adventures and into the intriguing world of Mohammad Salaam aka Salaam Bhai (Sanjay Dutt in a fabulously understated performance) who not only mentors him on the game but also life.

Alcoholism in Hindi cinema is typically veers between portrayals like Keshto Mukherjee and Devdas. One of the earlier films that addressed the issue with nuance and relatability is interestingly another sports drama about frayed father-son ties, Boxer (1984) starring Mithun Chakraborty. Danny Denzongpa plays the actor’s abusive father whose failed boxing career turns him into an alcoholic. Today the film is recalled most for its absurdly popular scene where Mithun takes fighting tips from a monkey to thrash a bunch of baddies. But Boxer did a fine job portraying a drunk, bitter person for whom his son becomes the punching bag for both his frustrations and unfulfilled ambitions. Toolsidas doesn’t have this problem. Played with a refreshing candour by the late Rajiv Kapoor, the character’s affection for his sons doesn’t change with his drinking, nor do his professional losses make him resentful.

But an inebriated Toolsidas fails to see his wife’s helpless and mortified face as she begs others to not let him drink, his sons rushing to close the house windows lest the neighbours hear their parents argue, and the jibes the boys face in his social circle. He remains an easygoing fellow, who, like many men we know, believes that he enjoys drinking a little too much and wakes up feeling sober, thus never acknowledging the problem and its repercussions. It happens so that when he introduces Goti to drinking when the latter is of legal age, it draws a violent reaction from his wife who is appalled by Toolsidas’ inability to fathom the issue.

Unlike his father, Midi is perceptive. Even though he isn’t one himself, the young boy is often seen navigating the world of grown-ups. He escorts his sloshed father home and listens to his drunken chatter like an old buddy. He understands his mother’s anguish and cares for her. He plays the voice of reason in the family from time to time. He may have grown mature beyond his years, but to the outside world he’s still a child. On many occasions when he follows his father around the sophisticated settings of the Club and watches other men socialise, drink and play snooker, Midi is either patronised or dismissed.

Midi’s quest for finding a place to learn and practice leads him to a neglected branch of YMC in an infamous part of the city. Their skillful cueists, playing for fun and some trivial gambling, couldn’t be bothered with Midi’s presence. It’s here amidst this chaos and developing camaraderie with these men of a completely different socio-economic background than him, Midi finds his mentor Salaam Bhai, a snooker legend with a mysterious past and an even more mysterious game routine.

Salaam engages with Midi as an equal. His wise and witty words, calm demeanour and life experiences inspire the young boy to get over his fears and insecurities, and teach him the significance of integrity, sportsmanship, and character — both in the game and in life. Midi is encouraged to not be bogged down by the idea of masculinity that young boys are expected to adhere to but to define the kind of ‘man’ he wants to be on his own terms and with the right intentions. Mahendra depicts this unusual mentor-mentee relationship with humour and grace emphasising on how having empathetic male figures enriches one’s childhood.

The film creates a delightful trajectory for Midi as he devises plans to fund his training and bunk school to travel across town to practise while evading Goti’s ever-evolving lofty business plans. The segment is an ode to the Kolkata of Mahendra’s childhood — old buildings, busy lanes, crowded trams, and local landmarks. The city’s dynamic cue-sports scene in the ‘90s cuts across the socio-economic divide and yet remains exclusionary on several fronts. We see the relatable family equations, especially the bond between the siblings. Midi is meek but quick-thinking. The glib talking, hustle-happy Goti (Chinmay Chandraunshuh in great form) bosses Midi around. The relationship matures through fights and friction. Their mutual fondness has wit and jest which adds to the film’s authenticity.

Oddly, the film becomes interesting in a whole different aspect. At this point for Hindi cinema in its state of moral bankruptcy, the Muslim identity has become an easy subject for suspicion and vilification. The dignified portrayal of a surma-sporting, lungi-clad Bengali Muslim man — degraded routinely by the Hindu right-wing bigots — feels like a small act of subversion, even though it could be completely unintentional. Ideally, such characterization shouldn’t warrant an observation. But in an era of communal majoritarianism, one welcomes the warmth of idealism — intentional or not — flickering in the winds like a candle.

Pragyan Mohanty is a freelance writer who enjoys both the batty and brilliant of Bollywood. You can find her on Twitter @PragyanM

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