'Azhar' movie review

5. No mention of prominent figures Jadeja and Mongia

The CBI had named Ajay Jadeja and Nayan Mongia as cohorts of Azharuddin in the match-fixing scandal. Both were accused of being in cahoots with Azharuddin in fixing games. The BCCI had banned Jadeja for five years.

Ajay Jadeja (L), Mohammad Azharuddin (C) and Waqar Younis (R) in 2004

There is absolutely no mention of either of them (Jadeja and Mongia) in the movie. One is left bewildered that while other team-mates like Navjot Singh Sidhu, Vinod Kambli and Ravi Shastri are prominently mentioned and shown in the movie (despite no direct connection with Azharuddin), Jadeja and Mongia, who have been directly linked to the former Indian captain in the whole match-fixing episode, find no mention.

6. Pretends that underperforming is the graver sin, not taking money

The movie, rather ludicrously, concludes that though Azharuddin took Rs. 1 crore from the bookie (MK) to under-perform, he eventually betrayed the bookie by performing out of his skin and later returned the money.

This is a damning self-goal. Accepting money from the bookie, even if you eventually do not under-perform as promised, is a grave offence as per the rules of the ICC. The cricketer guilty of accepting money from anyone to under-perform ought to be banned, as per the ICC guidelines.

7. No mention of two bookies, key characters in Azhar’s tale

The CBI report enshrines the fact that Azharuddin accepted money to fix matches from at least two bookies – MK and Ajay Gupta/Gyan Gupta. He was introduced to both of them by Ajay Sharma, something which Azharuddin admitted to the CBI. Ajay Gupta/Gyan Gupta also paid for his (Azharuddin’s) shopping expenses during the World Cup 1999.

But in the movie, there is no mention of Ajay Gupta or Gyan Gupta.

8. Hansie Cronje’s accusations not addressed

There is no effective counter in the movie to former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje’s statement to the Kings Commission that Azharuddin introduced him to the bookie (MK). Why would the man (Cronje) who confessed all his wrongdoings in front of the whole world and showed enormous contrition, lie about Azharuddin is hard to fathom.

9. Ridicules players who spoke against him

The movie presents most of Azharuddin's former Indian team-mates who have spoken against him in poor light.

Prabhakar is portrayed as the conspirator-in-chief and a fixer. Ravi Shastri is a casanova. Ajay Sharma is a conduit between cricketers and bookies. And Vinod Kambli is an utterly incompetent batsman whom bookies are unwilling to touch with a barge pole.

Vinod Kambli has been shown in poor light, much like many other players

While the portrayal of Azharuddin's teammates is by and large apt, the whole narrative is craggily contrived to implicate and ridicule others (former teammates, the BCCI and CBI) and absolve the eponymous character (Azhar).

10. Several small faults and errors

There are numerous other chronological and factual inaccuracies in the movie. For example, the Titan Cup is referred to as the Jubilee Cup and Azharuddin is shown as the skipper. In reality, Sachin Tendulkar was the captain of Indian team during the Titan Cup and that infamous Rajkot ODI.

The glorious moments of Azharuddin’s cricketing career are completely omitted, and the focus is entirely on proving Azharuddin innocent through fallacious, faulty and fictional incidents/narrative.

There’s a saying that time heals everything. Just when we were recuperating from the morbid disappointment of watching our childhood hero descend into the sordid cesspool of skulduggery, this movie has split open the old wounds.

It's fair to say that ‘Azhar’ has betrayed the whole nation…yet again!