At the outset, I would like to bring to your attention the fact that I had kind of drifted away from Cricket given my indulgence into Football. But hey, this is India, even when you tell people you are agnostic, you do end up performing religious ceremonies. Even when you tell people you are not into cricket, you actually sometimes have to, as the rest of the country comes together to support the national team. It's something that brings us together. Anything for Nation-Building.
Having said that, perhaps I would have skipped this movie but for the director Neeraj Pandey. I mean just look at his kitty, "A Wednesday" and "Special Chabbis". Yes yes, he also directed "Baby", which was not bad but of course not at the same level as the other two, and hence the separate mention. But no doubt regarding the brilliance of the man.
Coming to the movie, well, we all know the story, don't we. But do we mind a beautiful portrayal of all those moments we have celebrated with our friends. Do we mind getting to know better Mr. Cool. Do we mind a sneak peak into his making years. Do we mind to relive the 2011 World Cup final. No, we don't. But the movie offers you much more than that.
Yes, he has achieved what only a few can. And will. But is he a single entity. So many people play a part in the making of one and they all have their significance. The love of the mother, the care of the father, the trust of siblings, the unshakable faith of friends, the power of being in love and the blessings of the teacher, all have a part to play. And the same has been wonderfully depicted in the movie.
Sushant Singh Rajput has pulled it off. Pretty neatly. And it takes a lot of effort to play someone who is known to the world. People have a pretty good idea, how he walks, how he smiles, what he comments and how he carries himself. And Sushant has delivered. Like Dhoni has done on the pitch. Inch perfect. But my personal favorite here has been the wonderful Direction of Pandey. There is a story, but the challenge these days is "how" you tell your story. And this guy knows all the tricks of the trade.
There are some wonderful examples you would come across in the movie. There is this one scene where the depressed Dhoni is sitting on a stranded platform. The camera focus is on his side face and the background is blurry hinting at the uncertainty of things we aspire. Suddenly there is a light in that blur. A train is approaching. It stops for you. There is no one is the train. Perhaps no one wants to travel this way because it's a gamble. But you hear something. That something is calling you. That something is a signal for you to take a leap of faith. Faith in providence. Beautifully depicted.
For authenticity sake, they have used a lot of original footage from the matches. And boy, what a neat work with the video editing as they flawlessly replace Dhoni's face with Sushant's. Wonderful work. Lastly, there is a lot of thought being put in how they would balance the personal side with the professional one. But the plot beautifully switches between the two not disrupting the flow of it. In fact, they both get so wonderfully linked as if they were two strands of the same thread. And please, do not get scared away with the 184 min time span, it is a sheer delightful watch.
Lastly, take a bow, to the man who has won it all, who has made us proud on so many occasions, who has risen from the very bottom, let's here it once again, DHONI! DHONI! DHONI! DHONI!
Having said that, perhaps I would have skipped this movie but for the director Neeraj Pandey. I mean just look at his kitty, "A Wednesday" and "Special Chabbis". Yes yes, he also directed "Baby", which was not bad but of course not at the same level as the other two, and hence the separate mention. But no doubt regarding the brilliance of the man.
Coming to the movie, well, we all know the story, don't we. But do we mind a beautiful portrayal of all those moments we have celebrated with our friends. Do we mind getting to know better Mr. Cool. Do we mind a sneak peak into his making years. Do we mind to relive the 2011 World Cup final. No, we don't. But the movie offers you much more than that.
Yes, he has achieved what only a few can. And will. But is he a single entity. So many people play a part in the making of one and they all have their significance. The love of the mother, the care of the father, the trust of siblings, the unshakable faith of friends, the power of being in love and the blessings of the teacher, all have a part to play. And the same has been wonderfully depicted in the movie.
Sushant Singh Rajput has pulled it off. Pretty neatly. And it takes a lot of effort to play someone who is known to the world. People have a pretty good idea, how he walks, how he smiles, what he comments and how he carries himself. And Sushant has delivered. Like Dhoni has done on the pitch. Inch perfect. But my personal favorite here has been the wonderful Direction of Pandey. There is a story, but the challenge these days is "how" you tell your story. And this guy knows all the tricks of the trade.
There are some wonderful examples you would come across in the movie. There is this one scene where the depressed Dhoni is sitting on a stranded platform. The camera focus is on his side face and the background is blurry hinting at the uncertainty of things we aspire. Suddenly there is a light in that blur. A train is approaching. It stops for you. There is no one is the train. Perhaps no one wants to travel this way because it's a gamble. But you hear something. That something is calling you. That something is a signal for you to take a leap of faith. Faith in providence. Beautifully depicted.
For authenticity sake, they have used a lot of original footage from the matches. And boy, what a neat work with the video editing as they flawlessly replace Dhoni's face with Sushant's. Wonderful work. Lastly, there is a lot of thought being put in how they would balance the personal side with the professional one. But the plot beautifully switches between the two not disrupting the flow of it. In fact, they both get so wonderfully linked as if they were two strands of the same thread. And please, do not get scared away with the 184 min time span, it is a sheer delightful watch.
Lastly, take a bow, to the man who has won it all, who has made us proud on so many occasions, who has risen from the very bottom, let's here it once again, DHONI! DHONI! DHONI! DHONI!
