The importance of rising after every fall is the bottom line of Karm Chawla’s '10' which traces the roller coaster ride of a boxer’s life and his relationship with his coach. On a broader scale, the simple sports-based drama also explores the profound concept of understanding that a person’s greatest opponent is the self.
10 begins with Vijay Kumar (Vinay Rajkumar), an upcoming boxer, and his coach Pradeep Gowda (Gopal Krishna Deshpande), being interrogated by a sports academy when the former fails a drug test and accuses his coach to be behind it. After a series of investigations, the academy bans the two for a year. The story, which goes back and forth, gives a flashback of Vijay, and the banter between the two leads is written well.
After Vijay’s various successes, his association with an academy official takes control of his career, which does not go down well with the coach. Meanwhile, we also see his romantic side with Shruthi, a banker, who gets married to him.
But the happiness is cut short when Vijay changes his track and starts enjoying a lavish lifestyle. As a result, he ends up losing matches. The rest of the narrative is about his downfall and how his coach pulls him back on track.
Karm Chawla’s film has above-average writing and direction, and hits the required highs, and delivers killer punches at the right moments.
Trials and errors are always required to move forward in life and getting past the hardest circumstances before the count of 10, again used as a metaphor in the film. However, the plot revolving around boxing has less action and more conversations that act as dampeners. With his filmography, it is clear that Vinay Rajkumar is open to experimenting, and in 10, he has given his best in playing the boxer.
His efforts in learning boxing are evident inside the ring. With limited characters, the next best comes from Gopal Krishna Deshpande, who effortlessly performs as the coach. Anusha Ranganath gives good support while the remaining actors play their parts well.
The proceedings of this sports drama do not display exciting moments, but do give an intelligent insight take on boxing and life. 10 is definitely a movie that packs quite a solid punch for the audience.
10
Director: Karm Chawla
Cast: Vinay Rajkumar, Gopal Krishna Deshpande, and Anusha Ranganath
Rating: 3/5