Sushant Singh Rajput in ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’ and Russell Crowe in ‘Cinderella Man’ | Photo Credit: IMDB
Seated inside the theater for the first show MS Dhoni: The Untold StoryI felt the atmosphere of a packed cricket stadium. It felt like the cheering crowd was waiting for the highlights of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s greatness – fours, sixes and crazy dismissals behind the stumps.
Big budgets as well as wide reach have helped Bollywood make many sports biopics. But too much is bad, and the industry has squeezed the genre like a well-served tube of toothpaste. These days, Hindi sports biopics lack a distinct personality.
Thankfully, director Neeraj Pandey’s 2016 film was a carefully crafted world-building exercise that charted Dhoni’s unusual journey to cricketing greatness. I would recommend it MS Dhoni: The Untold Story This one is for those looking for an Indian sports biopic that maintains a balance between entertainment and a relevant story.
The challenge before Pandey was to convey the personality of a man who rarely speaks except during press conferences and presentation ceremonies. He was helped in this by Sushant Singh Rajput, who not only got the body language of the former Indian captain right but also perfectly portrayed Dhoni’s famous calm attitude.
The film was released when Dhoni was still an IPL star and a fading Indian cricketer. As much as it was about the art of the film, it was also Dhoni’s easily recognisable aura that connected with people, especially the younger generation who frequent movie halls.
Perhaps for this reason Kabir Khan’s 83 It did not excite them. Are young movie lovers not concerned about our past? I laughed when a college student expressed surprise at the dismissal of an Indian batsman in a scene from the film. Don’t tell me he did not know the result of the 1983 Cricket World Cup Final!
Ranveer Singh in ’83’
83 This film is a must-watch for the wonderful memory (the casting is spot on and the game moments are perfect) of the Indian cricket team that thought dreaming of winning the World Cup was a good joke but then found inspiration in their captain Kapil Dev. Ranveer Singh, playing Kapil, does a fantastic job as the classic underdog who holds on to his never-say-die spirit.
If you look beyond cricket, don’t miss Paan Singh Tomar. This film is often mentioned in discussions about Irrfan Khan’s best performance of all time. The film deserves praise for showcasing a sport that has never been in the spotlight: steeplechase. The film is an entertaining retelling of history, where a talented athlete is influenced by a rebellious mindset that forces him to become a criminal.
The rags to riches aspect is a common theme in sports biopics. Cinderella Man (on boxing champion James J. Braddock) and starring Will Smith king richard (on the father and coach of tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams) tells the stories of individuals who overcame extraordinary obstacles to achieve their ultimate goals.
Also read:Borg McEnroe review: Anatomy of an over-achiever
Will Smith in ‘King Richard’. | Photo Credit: IMDB
It’s not always about telling the story of victory. Rivalry is what makes the sport unique. Formula One Movie rush (James Hunt vs Nikki Lauda) and an underrated tennis film Borg vs. McEnroe (Bjorn Borg vs. John McEnroe) are presented in depth depicting the battles on and off the court/circuit.
It is a constantly evolving genre. Going forward, I want films to be made on sports stars from the southern part of India. How about a biopic on Rahul Dravid, the quiet player who recently led India to World Cup victory as a coach?
From The Hindu Cinema team, this is a fortnightly column recommending movies and shows around a mood, theme or pop culture phenomenon.
