83 Review - A riveting sports-drama from Kabir and Ranveer in the form of '83

PUBLISHED DATE : 25/Dec/2021

83  Review  - A riveting sports-drama from Kabir and Ranveer in the form of '83

83 - Review A riveting sports-drama from Kabir and Ranveer in the form of '83

Akash


 

The much awaited ‘83’ film directed by Kabir Khan, starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and a school of other important actors has finally hit screens. The movie obviously talks about the journey of the Indian Cricket team that went on to win the 1983 World Cup in England. How has this sports-drama fared among its fans?

Coming across as one of the most hyped films of this year, 83 the film, as much as it has its mass appeal, also has the pressure of being extremely good. Here, Kabir Khan keeps his cool and sticks to the basics. The film barely digresses from the core (The World Cup) and here, half the battle is won.

 

What’s most appreciable is the casting. Be it Ranveer as Kapil Dev, Jiiva as Krish Shrikanth, Harry Sandhu as Madan Lal, Saqib Saleem as Amarnath and all the other cricketers are so aptly cast and do a fabulous job. Special mention to the underrated Jiiva who deserved a break after so long! He has literally lived as Cheeka and comes across as a terrific performer for one and all with his body language and top-notch dialogue slang! What remains most authentic is the casting of the menacing West Indies team players. The actors that play Marshall, Viv Richards are all outstandingly cast and well supported by roles played by Boman Irani and Deepika Padukone. Full marks here.

 

Some of the sequences demand the creation of the time and space of the 1980’s in England. This has been worked upon really well by team Kabir. The cricket portions are breathtaking in most instances and the matches look so real. Some of the dialogues have been added for the sake of humour between the games and these could come across as cinematic for a few.

 

The scenes that require special mention are the ones that involve Kapil against the press reporters of London, Jiiva’s toast to his ‘mad captain’, the Marshall face off and obviously the Australia and West Indies cricket matches. However, the icing on the cake remains in the set up within India. We are shown parallel subplots of soldiers in the Indian border and a religious riot in a small town called Nawabpur. The makers have brought these in as a breather for those who may find it to be too much of cricket and it has actually worked in their favour.

 

The slang of the cricketers, their body language, game, the pace of the film and the build ups to the matches are all well sketched. However, what could have been avoided is the glorification of the Indian team in certain scenes and a few commercial elements that have been kept for entertainment purposes. For instance, you have a joke about an ‘STD’ at a very crucial game and one might wonder if they could have done away with stuff like that and stuck to the intensity.

 

Technically, 83 stands tall! Kudos to the cinematographer Aseem Mishra for pulling off this output. Music by Pritam and Julius add much needed spice to the film and the BGM’s work well with the slow motion shots. However, the medal goes to the edit by Nitin Baid as it is no easy task to edit a sports drama and he has played it to excellence.

 

Overall, 83 the film is surely an impactful watch with the right dose of emotions and cricket. By portraying the beautiful journey of the Indian Cricket team that won the 1983 World Cup, most cricket fans are in for a treat. Even those who love positive films and expect a feel good entertainer can enjoy 83. Ranveer Singh has to be commended for his magnanimous nature of letting numerous actors take the fore, as he demands respect for choosing this sort of a multi-starrer backed by an amazing intention!

 

Bottomline:


The emotional journey of Indian Cricket that deserves a watch from fans!

 

Rating: 3.25/5

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