I am not a cricket buff but I have been excited about ’83 ever since it was launched, 4 years back. The story is incredible and to get a chance to witness how things must have unfolded then gave me goosebumps. ’83, sadly, took a long time to release due to the pandemic. However, the film releases tomorrow and those excited to watch it would be happy to know that it’s a complete entertainer and fulfils most expectations!
The story of the movie: The 1983 Cricket World Cup is about to start and Team India is all set to go to England. The expectations among the public, sports body, media from the Indian team is zilch. Worse, the players themselves are not optimistic. Some of them have planned to go to USA for a holiday with their wives after doing a brief halt at England for the World Cup! The return tickets of the Indian team has been booked for June 20, though the final match is on June 25. In such a scenario, Kapil Dev (Ranveer Singh), captain of the Indian team, shocks the world and rewrites history.
’83’s first half is ordinary and one should be prepared for this aspect. The film starts on a weak note (the flashback bit is needless). The introductions of certain characters are done well but some of them don’t get the screen time they deserve. Nevertheless, a few scenes shine like India’s victory against West Indies, Srikkanth fooling a family to eat dosa, the emotional interval point etc. Post interval, however, the film rises and how. The sequence where Kapil Dev scores 175 gives goosebumps. How India slowly and steadily reaches the finals and how the perception changes is seen to be believed. The final match is when the film goes on another level. Mind you, the makers could have executed it better but still, the impact is made. And there’s a bonus during the end credits and it enhances the impact.
Kabir Khan, Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan and Vasan Bala‘s story is great and readily cinematic. It has all the ingredients of an underdog story. Kabir Khan, Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan and Vasan Bala‘s screenplay is very effective. They have incorporated the happenings as it is and given it a cinematic touch. A few scenes ought to have been better scripted though. Kabir Khan and Sumit Arora‘s dialogues are decent. Some of them are memorable and even raise laughs. But a few dialogues, especially the ones mouthed by Ranveer, are difficult to comprehend. The scene where he gives a speech in the bus is anything but funny and is the weakest scene of the film.
Kabir Khan‘s direction is excellent. His battle was already half won as he chose this cracker of a story. He adds his own tadka and tries his best not to go overboard. He does use a bit of emotional manipulation. But let’s face it. This film is made for Indian audiences and they would savour such kind of a treatment, especially for a film like ’83 that has the potential to reach out to the lowest common denominator. The track of the cricketers and their victory in the World Cup is an important part of the film and is very well treated. But the side tracks also quite appealing and would be loved by audiences. Through these tracks, Kabir, as always, tries to make a larger view point about global politics. Thankfully, he inserts it very convincingly. He also gives lifelong lessons on how entertainment unites people and how one must let their work speak even when the world is out there trolling you. The intermission point makes a powerful point on how even one attempt of genuine motivation can go a long way, even if everyone else is busy pulling you down. Another minor factor that helps the film is the use of the same font which was used then when the matches were aired on TV. Also, real-life footage is neatly interspersed with the film’s footage and its impressive.
On the flipside, the chemistry between the players could have been better. Except for a few, the rest of the characters won’t have a strong recall value, unlike say in a film like Lagaan, another period cricket film where all the 11 players remained in public memory for a long time.
Ranveer Singh gets completely into the skin of his character. More than his on-ground performance, it’s the scenes off the ground where he impresses the most. Deepika Padukone is lovely as the supporting wife. Her track in the end, however, might seem a bit needless. But it is intriguing, nevertheless. Pankaj Tripathi is adorable. From the players, the ones that are memorable and do very well are Tahir Raj Bhasin (Sunil Gavaskar), Jiiva (Krishnamachari Srikkanth), Saqib Saleem (Mohinder Amarnath), Jatin Sarna (Yashpal Sharma), Ammy Virk (Balwinder Sandhu) and Nishant Dahiya (Roger Binny). Chirag Patil (Sandeep Patil), Dinker Sharma (Kirti Azad), Harrdy Sandhu (Madan Lal), Sahil Khattar (Syed Kirmani), Adinath Kothare (Dilip Vengsarkar) and Dhairya Karwa (Ravi Shastri) don’t get much scope. Neena Gupta (Kapil Dev’s mother) and Boman Irani (Commentator) contribute well to the goings-on. Satish Alekar (Sheshrao Wankhede), Brijendra Kala (Cricket board member) Neeraj Sood (Cricket board member), Rajiv Gupta (pessimistic man), Mohinder Amarnath (as his father Lala Amarbath) and the actors playing young Sachin Tendulkar, old Muslim man, the sardar fan, sardar fan’s friend, the young Kapil Dev fan, Viv Richards etc are great.
Pritam‘s music is a disappointment. A film like ought to have had an anthem. However, ‘Lehra Do’ is nowhere close to it. ‘Yeh Honsle’ and ‘Bigadne De’ are situational and won’t have a long shelf life. Julius Packiam‘s background score is far better and exhilarating.
Aseem Mishra‘s cinematography is splendid and not a single match shot is confusing or difficult to comprehend. Rajnish Hedao and Paul Rowan‘s production design is realistic. Mukesh Chhabra‘s casting and Vikram Gaikwad‘s make-up deserves praise as it’s too good. Ayesha Khanna‘s costumes are reminiscent of the bygone era. Ganesh Gangadharan‘s sound design is rich and award-worthy. Redefine‘s VFX is first-rate. Nitin Baid‘s editing could have been slicker in the first half. Lastly, special mention should go to Balvinder Singh Sandhu‘s cricket training (he is credited as Associate Director, Cricket) and Rob Miller‘s sports action direction.
On the whole, ’83 is a terrific piece of cinema and is sure to swell your heart with pride. If you are interested to see it, make sure you do so in cinemas. The theatres are sure to turn into stadiums and audiences would be continuously clapping from start to finish; thus, it’ll be an experience of a lifetime. If you decide to wait for it’s digital premiere, it’ll be a big mistake on your part. Many of those reading this review were not born in 1983. Kabir Khan and team has given us a chance of experiencing a glorious chapter of India’s sports history. Make sure you dump all your excuses out of the window and do make the effort of going to the cinema hall with your friends or family. Because the experience is going to be worth it!
My rating – **** ½ out of 5!