(Picture Courtesy : Google)
"35 years we have gained Independence, but we are yet to Command
Respect"....that just sums up...why ‘83’ ? There is always a first time to
everything in life and the 1st one is always the special one, it lays the
foundation for future to build on.
Kids, who have had the opportunity of growing up in India during 80s-90s,
have witnessed the 'Transformation of Cricket from being a Sports to a
Religion'. Much of this was aided by the increasing Live Television Telecasts
& rise of demand for Global Commercialization. But there was the Kick-off
Point which started this & that was India's 1983 World Cup Story, the Story
which shaped up on it's own, based on the belief that the Captain instilled in
his teammates by being the Exemplary Leader.
The film starts off in the lunch hours at a Govt Office on 30-May-1983.
The peon brings a letter which the Officer has to sign & receive. Reluctant
to leave his lunch, officer signed with soiled hands & opens the letter. It
was the Invitation Letter from ICC for India's participation in upcoming World
Cup. With only one victory to show (against East Africa in past two World cups),
for the officer the letter had hardly any significance, nothing more than a
Head Count Participation Invitation !
It is not a Story, it's History which we all know. In the most light
hearted engaging narrative, Kabir Khan & Team recreates the Time & Plot,
the dressing room stories, the mood, the psyche, the background & the
Emotion...for us to re-visit. The makers have plotted out the minute details
from food habits, extra luggage requirement, Indian supporters, linguistic
barriers, press reporting, reservation over entry to Lord’s, events before
& after every match, the swinging moods & tempo to show the roller
coaster to 25-June.
‘83’ is an innovative form of documentary-drama with the correct balance
of facts & emotion. At multiple places the Reel images have been
interchanged with Real images, be it the scene at the airport, news snippets or
clippings. In fact, through the immigration check Kabir & Team help viewers
to pair the reel characters with the real characters. Special attention has
been made in highlighting the different milestones & records, big or small,
achieved by the team or the players on individual level during the tournament. The
aura of West Indian giants, the invincibility they brought with them, have been
quite well illustrated in the scene where the senior pros are sharing the
profile of the players while observing the net practice, symbolizing the terror
the name of West Indies brought to the mind of viewers & opponents.
Beyond cricketing boundaries, ‘83’ portrays the
underlying current of self-pride, dignity & Nationalism which was slowly
& silently taking steps forward as Team India was making its progress. The
scene at PMO, where the then Prime Minister Orders Television Telecast of the
semi-final & final reflects the requirement of time, the changing ways of
addressing Nationalism. Amidst the riots & curfew, the effort of a Muslim
Family in trying to fix the TV-Antenna to watch India play shows the ‘Unity in
Diversity’. Even the pause at cross-border firing between the two nations on
the final match day is quite humorous. Restricted entry at Lord’s for Indian
Spectators for the Final Match (right at the kick-off of the tournament) shows
the questionable credibility World had over India being a Cricketing Nation
& the Indian Team Manager had no answer for that.
For such a sleek & compact storytelling, music needed to be smarter.
Also, a bit more of the on-field reactions of the opponent players from England
& Australia, for the surprising performance from India, would have been
better. The aggression of West Indian Fast Bowlers to gain upper hand looked
little over played in a wrong way.
The Squad of 1983 is often referred to as ‘Kapil's Devils’, even the
members of Squad believed it was possible because of the Captain while others
filled in as per the requirement. Similarly, the crew would agree ‘83’ is
majorly dependant on Ranveer Singh (Kapil Dev) with strong supports from Pankaj
Tripathi (Team Manager, PR Man Singh), Jatin Sarna (Late Yashpal Sharma), Saqib
Salem (Mohinder Amarnath), Jiiva (Krishnamachari Srikanth) and others. Casting of Mohinder Amarnath (Lala Amarnath),
Chirag Patil (Sandip Patil) & Mali Marshal (Malcom Marshall) as their celebrated
fathers are pleasant surprise. Deepika Padukone (Romi Dev) looks misfit in the
overall context. Jatin Sarna has got under the skin
his role, the lesser known Yashpal Sharma, with some exuberance.
Saqib Salem, is elegant. As the Vice-Captain,
Mohinder Amarnath had a very critical role to play alongside Kapil Dev, Saqib
portrays that with fine delicacy. His expressions, while Mohinder starts
admiring his Captain silently, is something to watch out for. His dressing room
interactions with Ranveer mirrors the wisdom & calmness associated with
Mohinder during the tournament. Saqib shoulders the ‘Big Brother’ Image
perfectly, both on the 22 yards while taming the wild horses in Srikanth,
Yashpal, Kirti & Sandip as well as off it. But the best part from Saqib
comes out when he has to attend ‘Lalaji’ s phone call, a Champion living in the
shadow & awe of his father’s name is so well translated !
Pankaj Tripathi as Man Singh looks a seasoned
campaigner….be the scene of encouraging Ranveer in bus for a pep talk/team
meeting or his trademark smile after being rejected for an entry pass for
Lord’s on the final is brilliant as ever. Even
during his telephone calls with Air India for ticket rescheduling, he is spot
on with his indecision & vulnerability. The scene where he tries to settle the ego hassle of the
ex-captain with the new captain is quite special.
For cricket lovers who have witnessed 1983 live, for most of them ‘Paji’
is no less than a God & to step in the shoes of a demi-god is Gutsy ! Ranveer
is superb as Kapil, picking up his diction, body language, Bowling Run up or ‘Nataraj’
Shot. The way he blasts at ‘Roger Binny’ (Nishant
Dahiya) or criticizes ‘Sunil Gavaskar’ (Tahir Bhasin) or refusaes to issue any
statement before semi-final sounds ‘Kapil’! He has done his homework
quite well to make the on-screen character believable. Kapil made his mark as
all-arounder & ‘Captain to be’ during his 175* vs Zimbabwe…..Ranveer just
essays that part brilliantly. In the late 80s when ‘Ramayan’ was a Sunday
feature on ‘Doordarshan’, ‘Arun Govil’ was often worshipped as ‘Ram’ in many
parts of India ! Had the time been 80s, it would have not been a surprise if
Mr. Singh had featured in some of the posters alongside the cricketers, while
they were getting worshipped !
Post-Independence India’s success story in sports as a Unit, as a Team
was critical for a Nation under Reconstruction Mode, but beyond the Field
Hockey Gold Medals in 1964 & 1980 Olympics, nothing else was happening with
equivalent success. The 1983-World Cup changed the Wave, the Victory in England
sent out the message, loud & clear, from Lords Balcony…..’Don’t take us for
granted we are here to stay….and if the need be, we shall do it on your soil….rok
sako to rok lo’.
‘83’ is the tale of underdogs (spared not even by their own countrymen) rising
to fame. It the story of the hurdles they crossed, the journey they made, the
fight they put up to earn respect…………..the throwback we take.
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