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‘Gold’: The glitter is missing (IANS Review, Rating: **1/2)

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By Troy Ribeiro
Film: “Gold”; Director: Reema Kagti; Cast: Akshay Kumar, Farhan Akhtar, Abdul Quadir Amin, Mouni Roy, Vinit Kumar Singh, Amit Sadh; Rating: **1/2

“Dreams should not die, and one should not lose hope,” this is the underlying message of Gold, the film designed as a patriotic biopic. It is the story of how India won its first Olympic Gold medal for Hockey, post-Independence in the summer of 1948 in London.

Narrated in a linear manner, from the point-of-view of Tapan Das (Akshay Kumar) — the hockey team’s manager — the film begins in Berlin 1936 when India won its third Gold medal for British occupied India.

While the Indians won the finals, it is the British flag that unfurls and the British Occupied India Anthem that is played at the awards giving ceremony.

With the nation’s freedom struggle in the backdrop and the pain of not hearing one’s national anthem being played, it sows the seed to aspire for “Golda” for free India. How Tapan Das manages to put up a team and succeed in his endeavour, forms the crux of the tale.

This period drama, though well-captured, is over-fictionalised and peppered with internal politics, tension between players, a romance angle and unwarranted songs that makes the tale seem staid, run-of-the-mill, far-fetched and fictitious.

There are some beautiful game moments though, that spur you to cheer the Indian team. While the India-Pakistan relationship is beautifully handled, the playing of the national anthem at the end seems extremely forced. This makes the plot seem one-dimensionally patriotic.

With an inconsistent Bengali diction, Akshay Kumar is over-the-top as Tapan Das the down-and-out, eccentric team manager. Like his character, his performance too seems jaded.

Mouni Roy as his wife Monobina Das is perfunctory in her disposition. There are a few shallow, unconvincing but obligatory scenes between the couple which clearly show that together they lack on-screen chemistry.

The others in the supporting cast are Kunal Kapoor as Samrat, the team Captain of pre-Independence India, Amit Sadh as Raghubir Pratap Singh, the Vice-Captain of the post-Independence team, Vineet Kumar Singh as Imtiaz Shah, the original Captain of the Indian team who migrates to Pakistan, Sunny Kaushal as Himmat Singh as one of the key players of the team. They all add a distinct flavour to their characters.

The background score by Sachin-Jigar is inspiring and hits the right notes. The tune of the title song – “Hum saab ko harke layenge, ghar layenge gold, gold,” seems like a variant of Lagaan and other patriotic films.

Mounted with ace production values, Alvaro Gultierrez’s cinematography is picture perfect as it captures the era and the performances to perfection. His frames are seamlessly merged with the stock shots by Editor Anand Subaya.

Overall, with an overload of patriotic films in the recent past, “Gold” fails to offer anything exciting.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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