83 Review in one sentence is – a reel pill that gets on you a nostalgia high. The movie is the result of exceptional teamwork, just like the Kapil and his devils which brought tremendous euphoria as well as glory to millions of Indian Cricket fans.
83 not only captures the emotional heft of the success story of the underdogs, but also delivers a well-researched document in the popular idiom. It comes through early in the film when Kabir tells us a sweet story behind the team photograph, blending the real with the picturised one. The behind-the-scenes segments, the dressing room chats, and, of course, the recreation of Kapil’s devastating innings in the crucial India-Zimbabwe match (which wasn’t covered by the BBC), makes for a riveting big-screen experience.
On Twitter, Virat Kohli wrote his review of 83: “Couldn’t have relived the most iconic moment of Indian cricket history in a better manner. A fantastically made movie which immerses you in the events and the emotion of the world cup in 1983. Splendid performances as well.” Also Read – Virat Kohli’s Status to Playing 11; Things India Coach Rahul Dravid Could Reveal at Press Conference on Eve of Boxing Day Test.
The Indians were expected to finish the competition without causing any problems for their opponents or their travel agency, who had scheduled their return (or forward in the case of a few players) for a time before the semi-final. Though never seen or heard, the latter plays an important part in 83 as a barometer of how the team’s prospects were evaluated by the cricket board, its World Cup opponents, and its fans.
To stick to reality, a few of the players’ mid-pitch chats, the flaring tempers and jittery nerves in the dressing room, and the ardour among the people in the stadium and in various parts of India should have been toned down just a tad. Everything appears to fall into place as 83 orchestrates the story’s high points and the action builds to a crescendo in a truly poignant climax.
Despite the fact that we know how it all ends, the film keeps us on the edge of our seats because to the subtle emotional triggers and minor modifications and creative additions (including a communal riot-hit small town that quickly forgets its troubles as India march into the knockout stage of the World Cup and a household with a television set opens its doors to everyone in the neighbourhood)
83 review: Brilliant in all ways
As we watch the 1983 drama from the perspective of our fractious times, we can’t help but wonder if cricket still has the same power to unify us.
The conflict that 83 dramatizes is not just on the field of play against teams that were much mightier on paper (and otherwise) but also within the Indian team and in the hearts and minds of the its members. None of them had any belief in themselves to begin with. Srikkanth, at a party thrown by the Indian commissioner to London, admits as much.
The English cricket authorities did not give the team any chance either, withholding Lord’s Cricket Ground passes for the Indians until they booked a semi-final slot.
A small aside. Long before the term WAGs made it into the lexicon, the wives of Kapil Dev (Deepika Padukone, one of the producers of the film), Amarnath, Madan Lal (Harrdy Sandhu), Sunny Gavaskar (Tahir Raj Bhasin) and Srikkanth, joined the team halfway through the tournament but girlfriends, as Ravi Shastri (played Dhairya Karwa) learns from the team manager, were not allowed in the team hotel.
This was 1983 after all. Freedom had its limits. Batsmen did not play reverse sweeps or paddle shots; the concept of slog overs had not come into being; and great store was still set by playing with a straight bat even when runs had to be scored at a fair clip. 83 chronicles a significant point of departure in Indian cricket. The Cup came home but, just as importantly, the likes of Kapil Dev and Srikkanth provided intimations of a brand of unorthodox strokeplay that was to alter the game in the years ahead.
83 review: superb all around performance, bowls you over
Apart from Ranveer, Jiiva gets the swashbuckling soul of Krish Srikkanth almost right, but Pankaj Tripathi as the team manager seems a little too eager to uncork the tear ducts of the audience. Casting Mohinder and Mali Marshall in the roles of their celebrated fathers comes as a pleasant surprise, and so does Deepika Padukone’s turn as the stylish Romi Dev.
But some of the choices are baffling; Hardy Sandhu could not get the body language of Madan Lal right, and Vivian Richards (Jacques Taylor) has been reduced to just a gum-chewing bloke. One also can’t become Clive Lloyd by merely wearing spectacles! The hairdos of some of the West Indian fast bowlers are ridiculous. The film demanded a rousing music score, but Pritam fails to live up to the expectations. The English and Hindi cricket commentary could have been checked for grammar.
The creators – director Kabir Khan, Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, and Vasan Bala – stuck to the tried-and-true Bollywood formula of revitalising the drama while staying away from unnessary detoru, to recreate the pulsating and heart-stopping tension that accompanied the incredible cricketing workd of the men who were the underdogs in 1983 facing the might of West Indies.
Indian cricket was indeed changing and so was the nation. Nothing can rival the thrill of that unforgettable day in 1983 that saw India graduate from being an also-ran to being hailed as a legitimate contender for big cricketing titles. 83 comes pretty close to achieving the impossible. No mean feat that. The film and its principal star go for broke and, as one feeds off the other, the result is an absolute cracker.