Freaky Ali review: It's only Nawazuddin Siddiqui's performance that holds the film together!

Film: Freaky Ali 

Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Amy Jackson, Arbaaz Khan, Seema Biswas, Asif Basra, Jas Arora
Directed by: Sohail Khan

WHAT’S IT ABOUT:
Golf, as a sport, has rarely been explored on Hindi screen before. The trailer of Freaky Ali therefore had a fresh vibe to it, particularly so with its interesting casting. The film is about a small-time crook Ali (Nawaz) who makes a living by sometimes selling undergarments on the road or by extorting money from hapless old women. In all the petty crimes, his partner is his best friend Maqsood (Arbaaz). Ali is a good cricketer and that’s what makes him try his hand at golf. The friendly neighbourhood guy Kishanlal (Asif) believes that Ali has potential so he trains him to be a professional golf player. Ali soon starts topping the charts with his game, much to the anguish of the prevailing golf champion (Jas). Battling all odds (from local dons to jealous rivals), how Ali eventually aces the big tournament is what forms the rest of the story.
 
WHAT’S GOOD:
The film begins on an interesting note, bringing in the laughs at the initial stages. Director Sohail Khan doesn’t have much of a story to back his film. Yet, the irreverence in the humor (at times) livens up the screenplay in bits and pieces. The camaraderie between Ali and Maqsood has its fun moments. The clueless gangster (Niketin Dheer miscast) and his equally stupid squad sometimes display flashes of cheekiness. Whenever Sohail attempts his brand of black humor, the film works. The one thing that holds the film together is Nawazuddin’s performance – he literally shoulders the entire show. His impeccable comedy timing is put to good use in portions. Arbaaz Khan is in fine form and lends good support. Amy Jackson doesn’t have much to do but adds grace in all the scenes that she’s a part of.
 
WHAT’S NOT:
The humor is what makes the first half of the film fairly engrossing. The second half, which mainly focuses on Ali’s journey towards winning the championship, is what makes the film dull. The irreverence goes completely missing and the film is burdened with clichés of all kinds. The evil reigning champion, the portion about betrayal and the prayer son in the climax – Freaky Ali falls exactly into the trap it was trying so hard to avoid. Jas Arora is also incredibly irritating.
 
WHAT TO DO:
Freaky Ali has flashes of fun but could’ve been far funnier. Watch it for Nawaz’s endearing performance.

Rating: **1/2 (Two and half stars)