‘Cup’ film assessment: An uninspiring sports activities drama that lacks any aptitude

A nonetheless from ‘Cup’.
| Picture Credit score: Particular Association

Even a median sports activities film — which follows all of the worn-out templates of the style — usually finally ends up giving us a little bit of an exhilarating excessive in the long run because of the very nature of the narrative. However it will take some effort to void any sense of pleasure or triumph from such a film and depart us drained. Sanju V. Samuel’s Cup achieves simply that. The complete title of the movie reads Cup-Love All Play and one will not be actually positive what which means.

Nidhin Babu (Mathew Thomas), a budding badminton participant, desires of creating it huge within the sport. Belonging to a not-so-economically well-off background and hailing from a village with hardly any sporting amenities, he has a mountain to climb. Aiding him within the journey is his good friend Anna (Riya Shibu) who’s one other competent participant. However he has to beat a couple of minor hindrances earlier than he can obtain his dream of turning into the district champion.

The screenplay written by Akhilesh Latharaj and Denson Durom provides virtually equal play to {the teenager}’s friendships and a touch of romance, because it does to the game itself. However Cup lacks any severe battle, which is instrumental in a movie of this style. The difficulties he would face on account of his background are usually not explored a lot; as an alternative, we get situations that appear manufactured, moderately than natural.

One such roadblock for him comes within the type of a referee who has cultivated enmity in the direction of him over a street rage incident, and one other is a training institute supervisor making an attempt to make some fast money out of his starvation to win. The emotional drama involving his household and his fallout with Anna,— which seems to be his largest hindrance — feels contrived.

Basil Joseph appears to have been solid with an intention of tapping his recognition with the viewers as his character doesn’t make a lot of a distinction in Nidhin’s journey; a brief pep discuss late within the day doesn’t suffice his character’s want. Namitha Pramod, as a badminton coach, additionally delivers a lazily written pep discuss. Karthik Vishnu, as Nidhin’s shut good friend and sidekick, will get a reasonably fascinating character arc.

To prime it off, sports activities dramas are predominantly concerning the sport itself, however the badminton video games on this movie are shot with minimal effort and devoid of dramatic turns, tense conditions or participating play. Cup finally ends up as an uninspiring sports activities drama that lacks any aptitude.

Cup is at present operating in cinemas