Saala Khadoos trailer: Madhavan is a knockout in this boxing film

While there can be obvious similarities to Hollywood’s Million Dollar Baby and Bollywood’s Chak De! and Mary Kom, Saala Khadoos shows the potential of a novel, gripping affair. Madhavan’s intensity of emotions, Ritika’s raw talent and a tightly-edited trailer are assurances enough.

For all Rajkumar Hirani fans who loved 3 Idiots more than PK or Munnabhai, here’s some good news -- the first trailer of his next production, Saala Khadoos is as touching and as hard hitting as the Aamir Khan-starrer. And as revealed by the 2.4-minute long trailer, R Madhavan is an unexplored actor who is capable of much more than what we have seen him doing till now.

R Madhavan essays the role of a boxing coach in Saala Khadoos.(YOUTUBE GRAB)

Madhavan finds a [assionate boxer in Ritika Singh and starts training her. (YOUTUBE GRAB)

Saala Khadoos is the story of Madhavan, a boxing coach who has been banished from the national institute on charges of sexual harassment. Madhavan is sent to Chennai where he finds Ritika Singh, a poor 17-year-old girl who has the passion and skills of a boxer that Madhavan had been looking for. The film traces the coach’s journey as he prepares the young girl to create a place for herself in the world of boxing. Directed by debutante director Sudha Kongara Prasad, Saala Khadoos will release on January 28.

Unlock exclusive access to the story of India's general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now!

Ritika Singh plays the young boxer in Saala Khadoos. (YOUTUBE GRAB)

While there can be obvious similarities to Hollywood’s Million Dollar Baby and Bollywood’s Chak De! and Mary Kom, Saala Khadoos shows the potential of a novel, gripping affair. Madhavan’s intensity of emotions, Ritika’s raw talent and a tightly-edited trailer are assurances enough. Sample the opening dialogue: “Kaun kehta hai India me talent nahi hai, sports me se politics hata ke dekho, gali gali me champions milenge.”

Ritika Singh in a still from Saala Khadoos. (YOUTUBE GRAB)

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta tweeted, “Move over R Balboa. Here’s our very own R Madhavan in #SaalaKhadoos! Looking good @ActorMadhavan.”

Speaking at the trailer launch, Madhavan said on Tuesday evening that he did not have to work hard on Ritika’s boxing skills as she already knew the moves perfectly. “It was easy because we didn’t have to tell anything to her regarding boxing. After every scene, we used to say nice performance, nice expression but she was concerned if her punches were good,” he said.

“From Mary Kom to Chak De to Paan Singh Tomar, comparisons will be made because all these films have been very successful. Its good if our film is also compared with these successful films,” the 45-year-old actor added.

Watch the trailer

Hirani said there will be certain similarities owing to the film’s sports theme. “This is a sports film so there would be a coach, similarities... But there are various ways of saying the same story... What inspired me was the unique story but we work so slow that something always comes first. When we were making PK, Oh My God came and when we started making this, Mary Kom came. So we really can’t help that.”