2022 · Film
Toolsidas Junior
Mridul Mahendra's snooker drama about a boy who trains under a former champion to restore his father's pride after a humiliating club defeat.
Reviewed by Movie Mandala, Sun, 18 Oct, 2026
Where to watch
IndiaAs of 18 October 2026, Toolsidas Junior is streaming in India on Netflix with a subscription.
The story
Toolsidas, an amateur snooker player who plays mainly for his son's sake, loses an important tournament to his arch-rival, Jimmy Tandon. His young son, Midi, takes the defeat personally and decides he will win back his father's honour on the snooker table himself. He is far too young and inexperienced to manage alone, until he finds a coach in Mohammed Salaam, a gruff, down-at-heel street snooker master who agrees to teach him what the game really demands.
Spoiler-free: only the set-up.
Who it suits
An underdog sports drama about a father, his sons and a coach, with a child in the lead role. Netflix rates it U/A 7+, so it works for family viewing with children of school age.
Curation to help you choose, not a review.
Background
Mridul Mahendra wrote and directed Toolsidas Junior and based it on his own childhood. Ashutosh Gowariker co-wrote the screenplay and produced it with Sunita Gowariker, his first production-only film, alongside Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar of T-Series Films. Varun Buddhadev makes his debut as Midi. It is Rajiv Kapoor's final film; he died in February 2021, shortly after filming ended.
The film was scheduled for a theatrical release on 4 March 2022, but it went straight to television instead, premiering on Sony Max on 23 May 2022. It began streaming on Netflix on 25 May 2022. At the 68th National Film Awards it won Best Feature Film in Hindi, and Buddhadev received a Special Mention. Its only song, "Udd Chala", was composed by Daniel B. George with lyrics by Swanand Kirkire.
The facts
- Language
- Hindi
- Hindi
- Hindi original
- Genre
- Sports drama, Family drama
- Director
- Mridul Mahendra
- Cast
- Sanjay Dutt, Varun Buddhadev, Rajiv Kapoor, Dalip Tahil, Tasveer Kamil
Questions people ask
- Where can I watch Toolsidas Junior in India?
- As of 18 October 2026, Toolsidas Junior is streaming in India on Netflix with a subscription.
- Is Toolsidas Junior in Hindi?
- Yes. Toolsidas Junior is a Hindi-language film.