Indians are passionate about two things: movies and cricket. From a corporate executive to a roadside vendor, every tom, dick and harry in this country simply relish the prospects of watching a movie or a cricket match. Hence, it does not require expertise in rocket science to figure out why these two objects of passion constantly get hooked up.
We have witnessed several movies based on cricket in India, however, only a handful have struck a chord with the audience, Lagaan, MS Dhoni or 1983 (Malayalam). So, cricket-based flicks do not guarantee success all the time. But the Kabir Khan directed “83” promises to be a unique journey and seems to have the potential to tug at the heartstrings of the cine-goers just like the Aamir Khan- or Nivin Pauly-starrer. Therefore let us factor in the aspects that make “83” an absolute treat for the paying public.
Novelty Factor Intact Despite Being A Renowned Event
Everyone knows very well that India emerged as the giant killer to win the coveted trophy in 1983. However, not many have witnessed this David VS Goliath battle on small screens or TVs. Not just the millennials, even the cricket-mad generations of the ’70s and ’80s would not have had the privilege of catching the action live because Television sets used to be a rarity in the households during the ’80s and the colour transmission had just begun. Only a minute segment of the audience might have witnessed one of the biggest triumphs in the history of Indian cricket. So, there won’t be a feeling of deja vu while watching the movie.
The Kapil-Special Was Not Canned
It is common knowledge that if Kapil had not unleashed his devil instincts on that particular day against Zimbabwe, then the team would not have qualified for the knockouts. India were staring at a humiliation at 17/5 in the Quarters when the “Haryana Hurricane” walked into bat and the rest as they say is…… But the match did not have a direct telecast on TV due to a strike, so apart from the fortunate ones present at the stadium no one else saw the carnage that Kapil inflicted upon the Zimbabweans. This significant detail might not have escaped the mind of an auteur like Kabir Khan, and going by his past works, he would have taken painstaking efforts to recreate the match-winning knock without compromising even a fraction of the essence. Many in India would be curious enough to catch the same on the big screen after an endless wait of close to four decades.
Living The Characters, Albeit Temporarily
Whether it’s Ranveer Singh or Jiiva (Tamil actor) or Tahir Raj Bhasin, the actors have perfectly gelled with the personalities of Kapil Dev, K Srikanth and Gavaskar respectively. Through the teaser and trailer, it was very much clear that these actors were simply behaving like the legendary cricketers on screen and not indulging in caricaturish acts. So, It goes without saying that whether it is the “Nataraja” shot owned by Kapil and the broken Hindi spoken by Srikanth, both Ranveer and Jiiva have simply nailed these intrinsic attributes to perfection. So, the audience won’t see the stars or actors but the real-life personalities in the film.
A True-Blue Entertainer
While depicting a real-life incident on the celluloid filmmakers, generally, tend to get into a documentary mode of narrative. However, as the trailer of “83”, the movie has dollops of humour and several light-hearted moments to sustain the interest of the audience throughout the movie. Be it Kapil’s struggle with the English language or Srikanth’s in-your-face approach or Balwinder Sandhu’s light banter, the movie has woven these entertaining aspects perfectly into the screenplay. Hence, for the audience, it won’t be a snail-paced documentary on the triumph of the underdogs in 1983.
