Based effectively on Kanwar Khanna’s book The Game Behind Saffron Terror, the film Match Fixing: The Nation At Stake sets out to follow in detail a decorated army officer who finds himself embroiled in a deep political conspiracy and depicts in what way does it alter his personal as well as professional lives, in a really big manner.
The intriguing film sets out to unveil a shocking conspiracy that shook the country. The story is based on Col. Avinash Patwardhan, a dedicated Indian Army Intelligence Officer, who finds himself trapped by both external forces from Pakistan and internal factions within the ruling political systems. covers the connections between various terror attacks and bombings across India and how his investigation sets out to take a grim turn when he finds himself becoming a pawn in a larger conspiracy which involves India’s then ruling party and the neighboring nation Pakistan.
The film is not about the politics played in the game of cricket in India but instead sets out to delve into the dynamics of how powerful entities including intelligence agencies and politicians set out to collaborate to craft the narrative of saffron terrorism in India, which often leads to nation-wide unrest.
As far as the performances are concerned, among the actors, Vineet Kumar convincingly portrays the brave army officer, excelling in emotional moments, and stands out among the others. Anuja Sathe, gets into the skin of her very brief role as his devoted wife, and delivers a decent performance. Manoj Joshi deserves credit for pulling off General Parvez Musharraf’s look with finesse, while Shataf Figar lends an adequate support. Kishore Kadam, though has been cast in a very minor role, effectively manages to spotlight the beam on himself
While Lalit Parimoo does justice to the role that he has been saddled with, with effortless ease, Ekavali Khanna finds herself in a wilderness as she has not been exploited properly. All said and done, I should say that though the film does have the required ingredient to make for a gripping political thriller, with an intriguing promise and also nuanced themes, the lack of narrative cohesion and the lingering as well as the hoveringly show pace tend to take its own toll on the patience of the audiences.
– Review by Jyothi Venkatesh
Cast of Match Fixing: The Nation At Stake-
Vineet Kumar Singh as Col. Avinash Patwardhan
Annu Kapoor as Narrator
Raj Arjun as Pakistani Colonel Imam
Manoj Joshi as Gen Pervez Musharraf
Shataf Figar as Parvez Kayani
Anuja Sathe as wife of Avinash Patwardhan
Lalit Parimoo as Ranvijay Singh
Kishor Kadam as Savant Karmarkar
Credits of Match Fixing: The Nation At Stake –
Production company – Artarena Creations
Produced by Pallavi Gurjar
Directed by Kedar Gaekwad
Written by Anuj S Mehta, Sameer Garud
Based on the book – The Game Behind Saffron Terror by Col. Kanwar Khatana (Retd.)
Cinematography Kedar Prabhakar Gaekwad, Ninad Gosavi
Edited by Ashish Mhatre
Music by Hrishi Giridhar, Rimi Dhar
