After huge delays due to COVID, 83 finally hits the box office. The movie has been the talk of the town for couple of years, especially for its plot. Directed by the maestro Kabir Khan, the film revolves around the epic India’s first cricket world cup victory in 1983. India were considered to be underdogs and the craze of cricket was not even that much in the country. It was after the impossible win, that cricket started to become a religion in the country.
83 revolves around the whole scenario of `1983 world cup. The hardship faced by the Indian because of their underdog tag, the humiliation, the bravery in which they fought against the odds and got the cup is what the story of 83 all about. Ranveer’s real-life spouse, actor Deepika Padukone, who has also produced the film, essays the role of his on-screen spouse, Romi Dev, in 83.
For a story, it’s essentially recreated matches — at some moments merged footage of cricketers from ’83, with images in the movie. All of it, of course, leading up to the finale. Which, if you include the closing credits celebrating the same sequence, lasts over half an hour — pretty much beating Lagaan, at its 27 minutes of a cricket match for a movie’s climax!
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.
But, ultimately, it is Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev that makes a fanboy’s flourish feel like a lived experience. He almost becomes Kapil Dev for two-and-a-half hours, and is the throbbing heart of this carnival of a film. It is not just about the disarming toothy grin, the body language, prosthetics, and the hairdo, Ranveer also embodies Kapil’s never-say-die spirit and doesn’t allow himself to become a caricature. The Haryana Hurricane’s English might not have verbs, but the man is all action. Perhaps, the missing apostrophe before the title is a metaphor for the throbbing narrative and the personality of ‘Kapsi’; all heart, no malice.
83 has moments throughout its run time to laugh, cry, excite and give goosebumps. The movie is a masterpiece and a perfect end to a dull 2021. The movie surely gets a 4.5 stars out of 5.
