Paan Singh Tomar is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language biographical film about Paan Singh Tomar, a soldier in the Indian Army and seven-time national steeplechase champion, who later became an armed dacoit against the corrupt system. The film is directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and produced by UTV Motion Pictures. Irrfan Khan played the title role, with Mahie Gill, Vipin Sharma and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the supporting cast.

Made on a shoestring budget of , Paan Singh Tomar premiered at the London Film Festival in 2010. Two years later it was released in domestic theatres on 2March 2012 and was commercially successful at the box office, with worldwide gross of . The film won Best Feature and Best Actor at the 60th National Film Awards.

Plot An investigative reporter interviews Paan Singh Tomar, a notorious Chambal Valley dacoit who has recently made national headlines after retaliating against nine villagers. As Paan Singh recounts his life, the story unfolds in a flashback beginning in 1950.

Paan Singh serves in the Indian Army while his wife and mother manage the family home in Morena, Madhya Pradesh. During training, his exceptional endurance attracts the attention of his superiors. Though initially uninterested in athletics, he joins the army sports division for its unrestricted food rations. After training for the 5000-metre event, his coach transfers him to the 3000-metre steeplechase, in which he wins gold at the Indian National Games for seven consecutive years. In 1958, he represents India at the Asian Games in Tokyo but narrowly misses a medal after being issued unfamiliar track spikes just before the race. Frustrated at being barred from frontline service during the 1962 Sino-Indian and 1965 Indo-Pakistani wars because elite athletes are protected from combat, he later wins gold at the International Military Games in 1967.

His life changes when his brother informs him that their influential relative Bhanwar Singh has illegally seized much of the family's ancestral land. Declining an offer to remain in the army as a sports coach, Paan Singh retires early and returns to Morena. Attempts to resolve the dispute peacefully fail, while appeals to the District Collector and local police are thwarted by corruption. After Bhanwar Singh's men assault Paan Singh's young son, he sends the boy to join the army for his own safety. Soon afterwards, Bhanwar Singh attacks the family home, killing Paan Singh's elderly mother.

Determined to avenge her death, Paan Singh becomes a dacoit, forming a gang of local outlaws. The group finances its weapons through kidnappings and extortion before attacking Bhanwar Singh's compound and killing him. When nine villagers later betray Paan Singh's location to the authorities, he tracks down and kills all nine, prompting an intensified police and military manhunt. Despite pressure from other gang leaders to surrender, he refuses.

In the present, publication of the interview forces Paan Singh's gang to disperse temporarily. During this period, he secretly meets his family and former coach, who urge him to accept a government amnesty. He refuses, arguing that the state ignored him when he was a celebrated athlete but branded him an outlaw after he fought back against injustice. When the gang reunites, a trusted member, Gopi, betrays their location. Police surround the group, and Paan Singh Tomar and his entire gang are killed in the ensuing gun battle.

Cast Irrfan Khan as Paan Singh Tomar Mahie Gill as Indra Singh Tomar Hemendra Dandotiya as Vipin Sharma as Major Masand Imran Hasnee as Matadeen Singh Tomar Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Gopi Zakir Hussain as Inspector Rathore Jahangir Khan as Bhanwar Singh (Daddaa) Sitaram Panchal as Ramcharan Rajendra Gupta as H.S. Randhawa (Sports Coach) Swapnil Kotriwar as Hanumant (Paan Singh's Elder Son) Brijendra Kala as Journalist Rajiv Gupta as Corrupt Cop Ravi Sah as Paan's nephew Balram

Production Director Tigmanshu Dhulia first learned about Tomar while working on the set of Bandit Queen in Chambal. Intrigued that Tomar was largely forgotten despite holding several records, he resolved to make a film about his life. Dhulia worked for the film for two years, interviewing Tomar's surviving family members and visiting his native village in Bhind.

Dhulia wanted to make the film after fully researching Tomar. After its world premiere in 2010, Dhulia was in dilemma whether he is glorifying Paan Singh Tomar or going to depicting his notoriety.

The film was shot in the ravines of Chambal, in Dholpur and in the actual barracks Tomar lived in at Roorkee. To prepare for his role, Irrfan Khan trained rigorously with steeplechase coaches, even breaking his ankle at one point during the filming. He called the experience "the most physically and mentally demanding film of my career".

Soundtrack The music was composed and arranged by Abhishek Ray. The soundtrack was largely Indian folk music with western influences. Song No.SongLyricistSingerDuration (In Minutes)1"Kero Mama" Javed AkhtarK. Mohan (Agnee), Meet Bros2:292"Dhai Dhai"Sandeep NathAbhishek Ray, Kailash Kher Rahmat Khan Langa4:003"Jaao Dhal Jaao"Kausar MunirAbhishek Ray, Kailash Kher3:214"O Re Banwasi"ManvendraVidhi Sharma, Ravleen Sabharwal2:465"Paan Singh Tomar" (Theme)Irrfan Khan1:52

Release Paan Singh Tomar was released in India on 2 March 2012.

Critical reception The New York Times praised Irrfan Khan's performance and wrote "Without romanticizing Paan Singh Tomar, he shows his basic honesty and gives him real depth. As an actor Mr. Khan rarely does the expected. You can’t take your eyes off him.". Rajeev Masand of IBN awarded the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising Khan's performance and said "Directed competently by Dhulia, who's familiar and comfortable even with the dusty terrain, Paan Singh Tomar is made with great attention to detail and paints an honest, realistic picture of an India few of us can claim to know." Avijit Ghosh of The Times of India rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and said "Sportsmen and outlaws inhabit two different universes. One shines amidst the bright lights of glory, and the other haunts the ravines of notoriety. But in director Tigmanshu Dhulia's biopic, Paan Singh Tomar, the two worlds collide. And the result is a rather exquisite blend of drama, humour and tragedy; altogether eminently enjoyable good cinema". Aseem Chhabra for Rediff.com gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and said "The tragedy of Paan Singh Tomar and Irrfan Khan's execution of the role are both compelling." Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and said "Paan Singh Tomar shatters the standard rules of this genre. Besides, the film makes you cognizant that serious cinema can be uniformly delightful, like any other enthralling entertainer." Blessy Chettiar of DNA rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, "Gritty and power-packed, Paan Singh Tomar is a tribute to the unsung heroes of sports in India. Dhulia's direction and Irrfan's integrity will make [it] among the best movies of recent times.". Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said "Paan Singh Tomar is a completely gripping, near-flawless film, with such few dodgy parts as to be negligible.".

Box office collection Paan Singh Tomar grossed in first week. The movie managed to gross in the second week. The movie collected in its third week and was declared a semi-hit by Box Office India.

Awards and nominations Award Category Recipient(s) 60th National Film Awards Best Feature Film Ronnie Screwvala Tigmanshu Dhulia Best Actor Irrfan Khan 58th Filmfare Awards Critics Award for Best Actor Irrfan Khan Best Screenplay Sanjay Chauhan and Tigmanshu Dhulia 19th Screen Awards Best Film Ronnie Screwvala Best Actor Irrfan Khan (alongside Ranbir Kapoor for Barfi!) Best Screenplay Sanjay Chauhan, Tigmanshu Dhulia Zee Cine Awards 2013 Best Dialogue Times of India Film Awards Best Actor Irrfan Khan CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Entertainment

See also List of films about the sport of athletics

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