The sports drama is not about a jaded coach making a comeback and training a team to clinch a trophy. At its heart, writer and director Sudhanshu Sharma’s story is about shattered dreams and how they can embitter an individual and affect those around him. The tension in the Sharma household is palpable from the beginning when the viewers are introduced to the family. Siddharth Sharma (Kay Kay Menon) is a stern and unsmiling man who wants his son, Aaditya (Ark Jain), to have nothing to do with sports, so much so that Siddharth doesn’t let the young boy play and locks up his window facing the playground. Behind this austerity is Siddharth’s past as a badminton champ and thwarted dreams, no thanks to politics in the sports association, his humble background where he’s expected to be grateful and happy to land a gig as a khalasi (manual worker) through the sports quota, and an incident that left him injured. As fate would have it, Aaditya picks up the badminton racquet at school with his mother, Jaya (Shirswara Dubey), and his father’s childhood friend Viju’s (Sumit Arora) support. Whether the reluctant father will relent to let the son follow his talent and dream and help him achieve it forms the rest of the story. Albeit a simple story, Love-All is a deep and emotional tale. The narrative does include the usual sports training and challenges Aaditya faces, including rivalry at school. Still, it’s balanced well and seamlessly interwoven into the story’s actual vein of looking beyond one’s past, which shouldn’t have to embitter the future. Sudhanshu Sharma’s taut screenplay and directorial command ensure that the serious story remains engaging. It has the right dose of drama without ever going overboard. However, the part where the antagonists try to disqualify Aaditya seems unconvincing and could have been better. Sudhanshu’s background as a national-level badminton player is evident in the authenticity he has lent to the sport’s portrayal. The movie also has poignant dialogues. When Viju meets Siddharth after decades, he describes his life, “Zindagi ke rang toh ab sirf kapdon mein reh gaye hain.” Saurabh-Vaibhav’s compositions are outstandingly melodious, whether a delicate ‘Geeli si subah,’ love-laced Baaton baaton mein’ the pumped-up energy of ‘Jhat Pat.’ Kay Kay Menon proves to be a champion in the acting department here. His portrayal of the austere father and husband and a disillusioned man is as on-point as his transformation. He especially shines in the emotional scenes, and the subtlety in his changed demeanour tells us why he is one of the more revered actors of our time. Ark Jain gets the nuances of a badminton player perfectly. He is excellent in the scenes when he briefly succumbs to his newfound stardom and goes against his father’s advice for the first time. Swastika Mukherjee plays Siddharth’s ex-girlfriend and a catalyst in Aaditya’s journey as a player. Her scene with Kay Kay when they meet is poignantly portrayed. Shirswara, as the obedient wife and loving mother, and Viju, a loyal but straight-talking friend, perform well. Love-All is a poignant story about a father-and-son duo and calls out the unfair practices in sports associations. It reminds the viewer that good sports facilities and infrastructure are their right and not a favour done by political parties, as the money comes from their taxes. This sports drama is worth watching with your family. You will come out impressed and touched.Read more