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Freaky Ali backdrop
9 September 2016Hindi120 min

Freaky Ali

4.629 reviews
CriticsUnfavorable

Bayesian avg · 29 critic reviews

7.5+ Exceptional · 6.5 Recommended · 5.0 Mixed

3.34 ratings
Users

User Score · avg of 4 ratings

8.0+ Exceptional · 7.0 Recommended · 5.5 Mixed

Sajid–Wajid MusicMahesh Limaye CinematographySohail Khan DirectorSohail Khan Writer

A debt collector who becomes a major sensation when he takes on the rich man's sport of golfing.

Critic Consensus

Critical reception for Freaky Ali is largely negative, with most reviewers finding the film undone by a weak, predictable script and a faltering second half that drains whatever early momentum it generates. Nawazuddin Siddiqui's performance is the one element cited consistently as a highlight, with multiple critics noting it as the sole reason to watch the film at all. Common criticisms include over-reliance on genre clichés, uneven pacing, poor writing, and a storyline that fails to make the sport of golf engaging for a mainstream Indian audience.

29 reviews · 4 positive · 15 mixed · 3 negative

Praised: Nawazuddin Siddiqui's lead performanceCriticised: weak predictable script second half

AI-generated summary of 29 critic reviews · may contain errors

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Critic Reviews (29)

Shubhra GuptaTop Critic· Indian Express
3.0
"Nawazuddin Siddiqui is capable of carrying a film on his own shoulders but the film drowns in its own silliness."
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R.M. Vijayakar· IndiaWest
7.0
"Watch this film if you want simple entertainment. It may have done-to-death elements (barring the new sport of golf for our cinema), but it is delivered with a lot of soul."
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Meena Iyer· Times Of India
7.0
"Director Sohail Khan, who shares writing credits too, takes a lot of cinematic liberties. Even in a Utopian state, it is hard to digest street children running amuck golf greens. Or having goondas, double up as caddies. Like they say, this happens only in our desi cinema."
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Devesh Sharma· Filmfare
6.0
"Freaky Ali is a sweet little comedy that's sure to put a smile on your lips. Nawazuddin's performance alone is worth the price of the ticket."
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Sweta Kaushal· Hindustan Times
6.0
"Despite the cliches and melodrama, we found Freaky Ali worth the time and money. From the 'talented actor' for the intelligentsia to the common man's entertainer, Siddiqui is one star we love."
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Rohit Bhatnagar· Deccan Chronicle
5.0
"Even though Nawaz performs well in 'Freaky Ali', the film is surely not worth the ticket price. Since Baar Baar Dekho also released this Friday, pick this only if you are an ardent Nawazuddin Siddiqui fan. The film holds no promise of entertaining you throughout."
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5.0
"Overall, Freaky Ali inspired by the English film, Happy Gilmore, entertains with its simplicity and raw Indian appeal."
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Sarita Tanwar· DNA India
5.0
"Freaky Ali has flashes of fun but could've been far funnier. Watch it for Nawaz's endearing performance."
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Bollywood Life· Bollywood Life
5.0
"Though Nawaz is in his top game and there are a few chuckle-worthy moments, Freaky Ali struggles to reach the endpoint with the necessary flair."
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Subhash K Jha· SKJBollywoodNews
4.0
"Seeds of discontent and disorientation are sown in uncomfortable alcoves all across the film. The narration moves roughly and restlessly from one episode to another. The editing is abysmally patchy. The performances, barringAsif Basra as Ali's mentor and caddy, are uneven."
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Sukanya Verma· Rediff
4.0
"It's entirely on the writers and actors to make the proceedings seem crucial or comic. What shows up on screen is plain lazy on their part and it's painfully dull to watch."
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Devarsi Ghosh· India Today
4.0
"Too bad, as is always with any film from the bhai stable, the film's makers did not give two hoots about the film's script, which is why Freaky Ali ended up being two hours of zzzZZZzzzz..."
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4.0
"Freaky Ali misses to be an ace (golf lingo). In the garb of comedy, this is a boring dramedy."
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Bollywood Hungama News Network· Bollywood Hungama
4.0
"FREAKY ALI kick starts with rib-tickling moments but fails to retain the humorous momentum throughout as it falls prey to predictable plotline and a disappointing second half."
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Manisha Lakhe· NowRunning
4.0
"It's a sports underdog movie where Nawazuddin Siddiqui gets to play a man from the wrong side of the tracks to win at a game meant for the idle rich. The story starts out to be great fun, but it becomes so repetitive in the middle that even the jokes are a drag and then dragged down by Bollywoodisation of the story: unsportsmanlike behavior, intervention by the gods, maa ka aashirvaad and big gangster with bigger heart..."
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IndiaGlitz· India Glitz
4.0
"Freaky Ali is a half baked film, due to weak second half and stretched plot. It had all the potential to become a feel good entertainer, but fails to do so half way. More suitable for home viewing."
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"Now this plot could have held a lot of potential, but Sadly the Arbaaz Khan production goes down the spiral and it doesn't take long for the sense, sensibility and a shred of doubt to go out of the window!"
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4.0
"The film is like a sixer on a golf field, irrelevant and unnecessary. Even Siddiqui's brave act can't save this one."
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FullyHyd Team· Fully Hyderabad
4.0
"Technically the film is below average. The direction is below par, and the film struggles to make a point clearly. Freaky Ali is essentially a badly-written film - golf isn't cricket or boxing to begin with, and despite the director having three hours, he cannot get you connected with the sport."
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Manjari Saxena· Gulf News
4.0
"It's really not worth paying money to watch Freaky Ali in the theatre. Wait for the world television premiere. And then too, watch only if you are a big fan of Siddiqui's."
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Vishal Verma· Glamsham
3.0
"Maintaining the consistency of Sohail Khan as a filmmaker that started with the dud HELLO BROTHER in 1999,FREAKY ALI starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a mockery of a comedy in which nothing really comes to a head."
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Meeta Kabra· Wogma
2.0
"The problem is that all the elements exist - romantic angle, the betrayal, the hardship, the setbacks – but they all seem rather perfunctory. None of them get your attention, let alone make it pique. Of course, it is all predictable – that is a given for any underdog story anyway, isn't it? There is only so much an ordinary story can stand on its actor's shoulders. Even if they are as broad as that of Nawazuddin Siddiqui."
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Namrata Joshi· The Hindu
"Freaky Ali is predictable to the core replete with every cliché of a typical sports film that you can possibly think of and, is marked by old fashioned story-telling and over the top, slapstick humour. The added layer is also a done and dusted one, that of a poor man taking to a rich man's game — golf — and succeeding at it at that."
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Udita Jhunjhunwala· Firstpost
"Though it's called Freaky Ali, Siddiqui's Ali is the least freaky of all the characters and his performance is the only reason this film is not a complete washout."
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"Under the flimsy cover of a sports film, "Freaky Ali" is just another Bollywood 'good guy versus bad guy' movie. Every character is a caricature and every plot point already seen in a thousand other films. This one doesn't quite "putt" it."
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Nandini Ramnath· Scroll.in
"Some of the one-liners land with the same force as Ali's shots, but the cocktail of wacky humour, sentimental blather and tributes to God, Mom and the Neighbourhood has just too many elements to digest. Nawazuddin Siddiqui lives it up as the hero, churning out punchlines and playing the romantic lead in a creaky fantasy about bridging the gulf between the working class and a rich person's game."
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Sankhayan Ghosh· LiveMint
"To its credit, Freaky Ali never gets sentimental; whenever there's a potentially heavy-handed situation, it's defused with a pun. Sometimes one ends up laughing, even if isn't clear that this is what the filmmaker intended."
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BookMyShow Team· BookMyShow
"Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the dark horse of Bollywood. Every time you watch him on screen, he adds a new dimension to his role. From his facial expressiosn to his demeanor, his portrayal of all his roles in is on point. And with Freaky Ali he has proven that he can definitely play all kinds of comical and romantic roles. Amy Jackson and Nawazuddin's pairing is unique, but it definitely suits the story. Arbaaz Khan was also brilliant and he has managed to make us laugh with his antics. In short, Sohail Khan has made a really good attempt to make his comeback count!"
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Komal Nahta· Komal Nahta's Blog
"Freaky Ali is a dull fare as it lacks novelty. Furthermore, the audience will feel alienated from the drama as it deals with the sport of golf, which is not at all a popular sport among the Indian masses. It will flop at the ticket windows."
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Cast & Crew

Cast

Details

Release Date
9 September 2016
Runtime
120 min
Language
Hindi

User Ratings & Reviews

Users3.34 ratings

4 ratings from the community

Community Reviews (2)

TESept 2016

You can't expect much from Sohail Khan, or the whole Khan brigade, at least when it comes to directing or writing films. His latest feature is more like a skit played by a bunch of primary school students for their school's poorly-organized annual gathering.<br /> <br /> Ali (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is an orphan who used to work as an undergarment seller and a contract hooligan before realizing that he can play golf like Tiger Woods. Along with his friend and associate Maqsood (Arbaaz Khan), he signs up for a National golf tournament and aims to dethrone Peter (Jas Arora), a vanity-filled top golfer, and make some good money out of it. The story is basically a riches-to- rags one where Ali has to fight odds to come out as an achiever.<br /> <br /> One is honestly tired of this setup, which has been sampled millions of times in mostly all kinds of art in the world. But, then, you would think that the makers must have added some good old humor into this concoction so as to make it appealing. Sorry to break it out to you, but neither is there any quality comedy in the narrative nor is the existing any edible. One-line jokes that can be best described as PJs (in Mumbai parlance) are all there is in the story, which is otherwise as banal as its box office competitor's (Baar Baar Dekho).<br /> <br /> Siddiqui tries to single-handedly salvage the film, but a ceiling with only one pillar supporting it cannot save itself from a storm. It is upsetting to watch Khan in a role that he himself won't be proud of. Seems Biswas is the only person playing a sensible character in the film, and let me not even start about Nikitin Dheer and foul-mouthed Jackie Shroff. I went to the restroom for few minutes and missed somehow Amy Jackson.<br /> <br /> All in all, the show is about a lucky person who just happens to manage some flukes in few games of golf, which is as baffling and enigmatic as the possibility and nature of the romance between Ali and his girlfriend, Megha.<br /> <br /> BOTTOM LINE: Sohail Khan's "Freaky Ali" is a film made of zero imagination and creativity. Wait for TV premiere, but do see what's on in Star Gold or &Pictures.<br /> <br /> Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Apart from the Onam releases, the Bollywood movies that had hit the screens this weekend were "Baar Baar Dekho" & "Freaky Ali". I wouldn't have even bothered watching the latter one as it was a Sohail Khan production which invariably lacks any kind of sensibility or logic. However, since Nawazuddin Siddiqui was playing the lead & it belonged to the sports genre (which is incidentally one of my fav); I decided to check it out. So was it a wise decision??? Ali (Nawazuddin) was from the ghetto who struggled to make a livelihood as none of his modest jobs failed to strike gold. After his latest venture also bit the dust, he decided to team up with his buddy Maqsood (Arbaaz Khan) as an extortion debt collector for the local thug. During one such collection drive, they ended up at a golf course where the industrialist was struggling to make putts even after repeated efforts. This makes Ali to mock at him which infuriates the guy & asks him to put his words into action. Incidentally, Ali manages to putt the balls with ease which catches the eye of the caddy, Kishan (Asif Basra) who also happened to be Ali's family friend. Seeing his talent, Kishan coaxes Ali to allow him to be his trainer with their first target being to get selected into the Golf Tour. So how Ali rises through the ranks forms the crux of the story. Inspired from Adam Sandler's "Happy Gilmore" which was a hilarious comedy, this one barely managed to draw a couple of chuckles. Scripted by Sohail Khan & Raaj Shaandilya, there isnt anything which could be said to be original or atleast treated in a refreshing manner. The argument of class disparity that the Champion places when Ali takes up the sport, jokes on obesity, misogyny, etc all reeks of influence from movies of a bygone decade. None of the technical aspects impresses & we are left flabbergasted as to how talented artists like Nawazuddin & Seema Biswas agreed to be part of this project. There isnt much that Nawazuddin could do especially when the screenplay is downright mediocre. To be frank, he didnt quite seem the talented golfer that he is made to appear while brother's love might have made Arbaaz take up his role. Asif Basra has done a fine job, Jas Arora seems more like a veteran rather than a Champion, Seema Biswas hams it up royally & Amy Jackson (oh..she was there???) well nothing apart from flash smiles which is the most she has ability for. Verdict: Unless people think in the same manner as I did, there is very less chance that this will make any tremor at the box office. With a screenplay as pathetic as this, there is not going to be any word of mouth going in its favour. In short, don't even bother watching!!! Rating: 1.75/5 Regards...Ben

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