Farhan Akhtar says he isn't 'disturbed' by similarities between Toofaan and Salman Khan's Sultan, explains differences
Farhan Akhtar has commented on the perceived similarities between his film Toofaan and the Salman Khan-starrer Sultan. Here's what he said.
Farhan Akhtar has said that he isn't disturbed by audience drawing similarities between his upcoming film Toofaan, and the 2016 Salman Khan-starrer Sultan. Both films are sports dramas, about down-and-out athletes who make a comeback.
In an interview, Farhan Akhtar was asked if the comparisons 'disturb' him. He said that even though there might be similarities in the structure of the two films, the journeys of the two characters are very different.
He said that broadly speaking, any sportsperson who defies all odds to make a comeback can fall in this category. Toofaan, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, is slated for a July 16 release on Amazon Prime Video.
Farhan told RJ Siddharth Kannan, "I don't get disturbed at all. The fact is people will discover what this film is about when they see it. When we announced we were making a film about boxing, people said we're ripping off Rocky. Now that they've seen the trailer, they think we've ripped off Sultan. And that is completely understandable. There may be elements of the structure that are similar, in terms of somebody who is good at what he did, lost it all, and had to get it back. But that story is so common of so many people. Say somebody succeeded in any other sport, cricket for example... Somebody may have got injured, went out, and came back and made it to the national team... You can say they have exactly the same story, but their journeys are never the same."
He continued, "Who they are as people, how they react to things, what it is that compelled them to be there in the first place, what compelled them to go back are completely different things. No two people have the same journey."
Also read: Farhan Akhtar was offered Rang De Basanti, says Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Toofaan also stars Mrunal Thakur and Paresh Rawal. A similar comeback story will be dramatised in the upcoming film Jersey, starring Shahid Kapoor, who returns to cricket to win a team jersey of his son.
