83

The team has brought the 83 cricket word cup matches to the big screens. Everyone knows what happened on 1983 but the screenplay making and acting made the movie enjoyable and interesting.

I don't mind telling that I dislike Ranveer Singh as an actor. But he gained respect in my eyes with this role. He embodied "Kapil dev" in every way, his mannerisms, accent, bowling style. I was in the 10th standard when this World cup took place. Until then just like the English commentator, I didn't think India was capable of doing anything great. After that day when India lifted the World cup high, I believed we can achieve anything as a country as long as we have the belief and discipline. Kabir the director was able to capture that emotion and pride, I and millions of Indians felt that day in this movie. The actor who played Indira Gandhi was a spitting image of our late PM. Deepika seem to be an after thought when it came to casting. Except for Binny/Srikanth/Kirmani l do wish the rest of the cast were closer in looks/style to the original players. With the West Indies team it got more confusing as there were very less similarities to the original team.

I realize a fictional sports movie, is much more well received than a factual movie because in fiction you can add exaggerations to bolster the scenes while in a factual movie you are bound by facts.

Had this movie done well it would have been a perfect homage to the national heroes who put India on the international cricketing map. That was the foundation stone on which today's Indian team and their achievement stand on. Jai Hind !!!

Look first it's a docudrama, which means everyone has to look and act like a real life Indian cricketer. This is a technically well made movie. You see some actual real cricket action not just patched up shots of someone bowling and someone batting. They have tried to recreate the same play sequences as much as possible. So the ball seams or spins or swings as was seen on the live telecast.

The West Indian actors as cricketers were good and they plugged in quite well to the narrative. Well they got Malcolm Marshall's son to play as him no wonder it looked very realistic.

Yes there are the usual cliches and some history lessons and a tiny bit of melodrama you would expect in any Bollywood movie but it keeps you entertained.

If you hate cricket don't bother as that's what 90% of the movie is about. There aren't any silly song sequences and traditional melodramas.

Jiiva as Srikanth and Ranveer as Kapil Dev are simply great.

All in all an entertaining fare and this should serve as an impetus for other sports movies as well.

Usually, sports films focus on the dramatic story surrounding the actual sports to make the story more interesting for a film. When it comes to Bollywood there would be a whole lot more drama and nationalism added to make it a commercial entertainer. But what 83 does is, it made a film completely around the actual sports event and made everything surrounding it the filler contents that offers comedy and a few other commercial elements. This is the good thing and the bad thing about this film at the same time.

The movie is made in such a way that anyone who is not too familiar with cricket is not gonna enjoy this movie at all. On top of that, the filler content in between the sports highlights is more than often overdramatic, which can put off the aforementioned audience easily.

But for people who have grown up with cricket, especially those who watched the 1983 Cricket world cup live and those who grew up listening to that story, this will be a very entertaining watch. Right from the casting of each member of the team, they made a splendid job. Whenever they cut from a match to the TV screen showing the actual matches that happened in 1983, the casting and the attention to detail in making each shot perfect made it a smooth transition where you barely notice the change between the actors and the real-life players.

The casting, the cricket matches, each and every ball and shot, the mannerism and personalities of each team member have all been captured perfectly. To top that off, the small cameos of the real players, the inclusion of other so-called easter eggs all made it wholesome.

This is a very flawed film that leans closer to docu-fiction rather than just a historical biopic. So those who expect more than that may get disappointed.

For those who have lived through the 83 times, it will be a memorable reminder of what the feelings were in India at that time. For those who were born just within the decade of 83 it will serve as a showcase for the events that we have heard off and the legends that we have seen. For the kids and teenagers who are following the cricket of today, this movie shows how the game became a second nature to most Indians and how the glamorous game was once a pale event.

Every generation has something to take away from the movie. Yes, it could have been better, but given the fact that it is coming from a director and a production house which wanted to make a mass-entertainer, it has done a great job.

Ranveer almost becomes Kapi Dev and you won't remember him any other way towards the end of the movie. The rest of the cast has also done a superb job with Jeeva, Pankaj and Hardy taking easily the attention away. The game itself has been shot brilliantly. If you are lucky to be among a jubilant crowd in the theater it will be a much exhilarating experience.

Go watch! Ignore the negative reviews. This story needs to be told for the current generation.