01
Shahid
Why this pick
Like Paan Singh Tomar, it uses a real life to expose how institutions can turn conviction and dignity into a long, painful struggle, with an unvarnished, performance-led intensity.
A FILM WORTH A CLOSER LOOKTHE FEATURE PRESENTATION
MOVIE2012 2h 15m IND
IF THIS ONE STAYED WITH YOU
Movies like
Paan Singh Tomar
CrimeDrama
CINEHUNCH / THE NEXT FRAME
Keep the feeling.
SIMILAR PICKS / A PERSONAL CONNECTION
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Sonchiriya
Why this pick
Set in the Chambal ravines, it shares Paan Singh Tomar’s dusty terrain, moral tension, and empathy for people pushed to society’s margins, while pursuing a more ensemble-driven reckoning.
03
Sairat
Why this pick
Its naturalistic provincial texture and escalating social stakes echo the emotional directness of Paan Singh Tomar, turning personal aspiration into a searing confrontation with entrenched hierarchy.
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01 / THE STORY
A little about the film.
A reporter interviews Paan Singh Tomar (Irrfan Khan), a dacoit who is in the news for killing nine people of a community. Answering questions about himself, the story goes in a flashback from the year 1950. Paan Singh works in the Indian Army while his wife and mother live in Morena. He surprises his seniors in the Army with his athletic skills. Though he was not interested in sports, he joins the sports division because there were no limits on their diet. Picked for the 5000 metres race's training, he was persuaded to run for the 3000 metre Steeplechase (athletics) by his coach. He participates in the National Games of India and wins the gold medal in the steeplechase event 7 years in a row. In 1958, he participates in the Asian Games at Tokyo, but couldn't win because of his inability to adjust with the track spikes only given to him in the final event. He felt frustrated when he was not allowed to go the borders to fight in the Sino-Indian War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 wars because sportsmen were not allowed to fight in them. In 1967, he participated in the Military World Games and wins the gold medal in the steeplechase.
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02 / FACES IN THE FRAME
The people who bring it to life.
Irrfan Khan
Paan Singh Tomar
Mahie Gill
Indra
Zakir Hussain
MPS Rathore
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Gopi Jadav
Brijendra Kala
Journalist