Gold critics review: Akshay Kumar starrer is a solid Independence Day entertainment

Akshay Kumar is back on the silver screen with yet another dose of heavy patriotism through his Independence Day release, Gold, written and directed by Reema Kagti. The movie revolves around a man who dreams of winning free India's first gold in hockey and his struggles to form a team to make his dreams come true. India went on to win its first gold medal as an independent nation at the Olympics on August 12, 1948.

The sports drama, which also stars Mouni Roy, Kunal Kapoor, Amit Sadh, Vineet Singh and Sunny Kaushal, has opened to mixed reviews from the critics but seems to be a promising deal for the moviegoers.

Some felt that Akshay Kumar is the soul of the film who managed to spark the inner patriotism in the hearts of the audiences with his performance, while some felt that he was the biggest weakness in the film as other actors dribbled their way at the end.

Many found the Bengali dialect used in the film forced and not upto the mark with the stereotypical use of words like, urri baba, gondogol or aami jaani in order to show which part of the country they belong to. Some even felt that the script and the interpretation of the game of hockey took a back seat.

While moviegoers have already booked tickets through advance booking which opened a couple of days ahead of the release, others may check out what critics have been saying about the Akshay Kumar starrer and help them decide whether it is worth spending money on.

The Times Of India: "The emotions run high in the film, as a handful of Indians put their personal differences aside to make the country proud. As we witness India winning its first gold as a free nation, you also see the Pakistani players cheer for the Indians playing on the field. Moments like this make 'Gold' a film which is more than just a sports drama. This one is surely worth its weight in gold."

Hindustan Times: "Gold is a well-plotted drama that sometimes devolves into schmaltz and melodrama. However, it gives us solid two-and-half hours of tricolour-hued entertainment. We suggest XL sized popcorn tubs."

Film Companion: "Gold is a lot of things, but most of all it is an Akshay Kumar movie. Which means it riffs on a moment in history that hopes to distort our reflection of the future. It accessorizes the gold-winning run of independent India's first field-hockey team at the 1948 London Olympics."

India Today: "From what the early reviews of Gold say, this is the perfect Independence Day gift Akshay Kumar's fans have been waiting for. The film is all about patriotism, a subject that has become Akshay Kumar's homeground for some years now. With Reema Kagti behind the wheel, looks like Bollywood will have a rocking August 15 at the ticket windows this year."

NDTV: "Hockey, at its best, is an incredibly fast-paced game and any film about the sport has got to capture that inherent momentum for it to work. Gold fails to do that, dragged down by a storyline that puts too much store by the anticipated crowd-pulling power of a Bollywood A-lister. The script, and the real events that inspired it, take a backseat in the process. As a result, what could have been a blinder of a movie barely manages to hobble its way to a climax that holds no surprises because it is a part of Indian sporting folklore."

Scroll.in: "The gleaming cars, neatly-ironed costumes, and orderly manner in which the props have been arranged barely convey the impression of the blood and sweat involved in achieving a seemingly unattainable goal. The pounding background score and on-the-nose dialogue heavily underline what is being seen on the screen. The sluggish pacing over 153-minutes contain few moments of surprise or discovery. In the end, the inevitable clamber for the exit gate is stalled in the final moments by the strains of the national anthem."