question_answer

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

The timing couldn?t have been better. It is entirely fitting that on the eve of the Rio Olympics a sports film Haria Yadav: Born to Swim - on an Indian child swimmer should hit the screens. What is more significant, however, is that Hana Yadav manages to break away from a whole lot of principle arcs and formulae even while remaining squarely within the conventions of a typical Indian snorts film.

It is not weighed down by the burden of nationalism; in fact it inverts and questions it. It is not quite about winning for India. Then there is the triumph of the underdog cliche. Yes there is an underprivileged child at the heart of the film but we don?t wallow in the squalor of his slum life in Ranchi, nor do we celebrate his rise up from the bottom of the heap. It is about how India can actually crush its own hope for medals, trample a champion on the margins of the society than help him blossom. In fact it also makes us debate whether it is entirely ethical in dreaming of a champion in a mere five     year old?

For a change, it's also good not to have Mumbai and Delhi as the centre of action in a Hindi film. A new film-maker from Jharkhand comes up with an assured de-but-nicely paced, well-crafted and entirely engaging. A film that is rooted in the state, brings alive the sights, sounds, lingos, colours and flavours of Jharkhand, and yet manages to speak to all. Yes the film is on the wonder boy from the state, Yadav, but it would not be quite right to describe it as a biopic. It is not about that talented little boy but the circus that got built around him. The boy, who wets his bed, can't even tie his shoelaces and can hardly comprehend the significance of swimming as a sport and carrier.

Like another good sports film, Paan Singh Tomar, the world of Haria is riddled with complexities, at the heart of which is his coach Biplab Das. The ambitious man drives a five year old round the bend relentlessly, pushes him to the limits yet cares enough to get him a new swimsuit, feeds him almonds and apples and cries silently on getting separated from him.

Much rests on Aryaan Kapoor's seemingly effortless performance as a judo coach who trains 22 orphans in his hostel and also runs a dhaba and a salon to make ends meet. Never once does Aryaan appear to act and finely balances out Biplab - neither a hero, nor a villain, just a human being with flaws and warts. There is a fine line that separates ambition from obsession, a visionary from an opportunist and Aryaan's Biplab stands very well on it. The best bit about the film is how it looks at these grey zones without being judgmental.

Which of the following fundamental questions do you think the film raises?

A) Do we celebrate the rise up of a slum boy from the bottom of the heap?

B) Does the film manage to break away from a whole lot of principle arcs and formulae even while remaining squarely within the conventions of a typical Indian sports film?

C) Is it entirely ethical in dreaming of a champion in a mere five year old?

D) How India can actually crush its own hope for medals, trample a champion on the margins of the society than help him blossom?

E) None of these