What new legend can director Kabir Khan add to India's improbable, yet well-deserved victory in the 1983 Cricket World Cup? This question was swirling in the minds of many of us when he announced the film about Kapil's theatrical journey of devils in the English summer.
Many feared whether an event that happened in the distant past might be imaginary to the present generation. The wise also feel that a documentary could have been a better choice to depict one of India's biggest victories in team sports; Not many would like to corrupt their cherished memories of watching the World Cup on a black and white television set, with a fictional account projected in 4K.
However, Kabir puts his unique background in making authentic documentaries and big blockbusters to good use, delivering a spirited document-play by a group of poorly paid, lesser-known cricketers to journalist David Frith: Make eat their words.
83 not only captures the emotional height of the success story of Dalits, but also offers a well-researched document in the popular idiom. It comes at the beginning of the film when Kabir tells us a lovely story behind the picture of the team, which depicts the real one. The behind-the-scenes segments, the dressing room chat, and of course, the entertainment of Kapil's disastrous innings in the crucial India-Zimbabwe match (which was not covered by the BBC), makes for a big screen experience.
But, ultimately, it is Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev who makes the flourishing of a fanboy feel like a lived-in experience. He becomes Kapil Dev for about two and a half hours, and is the beating heart of this carnival of a film. It's not just about the unarmed jagged grin, body language, prosthetics and hairdo, Ranveer also embodies Kapil's never-losing spirit and doesn't allow himself to be a caricature. Haryana Hurricane may not have a verb in English, but man is a verb. Perhaps, the missing apostrophe before the title is a metaphor for the throbbing narrative and personality of 'Kapsi'; With all my heart, no malice.
Be it Kapil's relationship with Sunil Gavaskar (Tahir Bhasin) or Sandeep Patil's (Chirag Patil) abusive ways or, for that matter, Mohinder Amarnath (Saqib Saleem) living in the shadow of his illustrious father Lala Amarnath, the difference in story Important facts, common sense, little known curiosity. More importantly, Kabir and co-writers Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan and Vasan Bala put him in context. The cricket action, shot by Aseem Mishra, doesn't feel concocted and the sound of reggae - every time Richards takes the guard - adds to the atmosphere.
Beneath the light-hearted exterior, a layer of narrative provides a scathing commentary on what victory meant at the time and for the country. We can't forget that 1983 was also the year the Nelly massacre took place. Kabir not only tracks what was happening on the grass pitches of England, but also gives us a feel for the sticky socio-economic wicket that India was grappling with in the 1980s, when cricket was a unifying force. as emerged.
And yes, even Pakistan makes room in the story. No, not the players who made it to the semi-finals, but Senna for the fuss he created during the matches. Be it Ek Tha Tiger or Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Kabir loves to inflame nationalist sentiments. They can be simple at times, but they rarely enter the realm of fundamentalism. Here he pushes Muslims in skull caps while waving the tricolor in several frames.
Apart from Ranveer, Jeeva gets Krrish Srikkanth's flamboyant soul almost right, but Pankaj Tripathi as the team manager seems a little eager to open the tear ducts of the audience. The casting of Mohinder and Mali Marshall in the roles of their famous father comes as a pleasant surprise, and so does the turn of Deepika Padukone as the stylish Romi Dev. But some of the choices are shocking; Hardy Sandhu is unable to correct Madan Lal's expressions, and Vivian Richards (Jacques Taylor) is reduced to just a man chewing gum. No one can become Clive Lloyd just by wearing glasses! Some of the West Indies fast bowlers have ridiculous hairstyles. The film demanded an upbeat musical score, but Pritam did not live up to the expectations. English and Hindi cricket commentary could be checked for grammar.
It's the little things in a film that make us laugh, sob, and consistently manage to recreate the moments that still give us goosebumps four decades after the historic victory. A great way to end a difficult year.