We see the tragic end of one of his relationships. Other Bollywood sports films such as Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Mary Kom, even Sultan, have been able to link events in their protagonists’ lives to their athletic performance. Same with the 2007 World Twenty20 win, the origin of the Dhoni-as-leader legend. Here, it just comes and goes-a little detail in the inexorable rise of Dhoni.
The 2007 World Cup loss, after which his effigy was burnt outside his home in Ranchi, is widely regarded as a turning point in his life. The film runs through the major signposts in Dhoni’s career, but we never get a sense of how victory and defeat affected the man or altered his game or personality. We’re removed from the action-twice removed, in fact. We never feel the heat of the moment, never hear the crowd’s chants as Dhoni would have heard them. Yet, this approach also results in a lack of immediacy. On the one hand, the makers no longer have to run the risk of looking silly while recreating moments that cricket fans know by heart. Instead, it inserts Rajput as Dhoni into actual match footage. For once, instead of being told how special Dhoni is, we see his greatness reflected in their reactions.Īpart from a brilliantly cast Herry Tangiri as a young Yuvraj Singh, the film avoids having actors play the Indian team of the time.
We see his sceptical father, his supportive mother and sister, friends who’ve supported him since his schooldays, his first coach, yell at the TV, advise him on how to play, blame everyone but him for his dismissal. Suddenly, we’re not only watching cricket, but watching Indians watch cricket, which is just as entertaining. When the film resumes, Dhoni is quickly elevated to the India A team, then to the national side. But intermissions (and their effect on screenplays) are strange things. It’s as if the makers are afraid the audience might think less of the character if he betrayed a few nerves.Īs Dhoni’s career seems to grind to a halt-like the trains he’s supposed to keep tabs on-the film stalls as well. Played by Sushant Singh Rajput, the Dhoni we see on screen is always quietly confident, with the beatific smile of someone who knows things will work out. We’re shown how Dhoni’s hitting makes him a legend in his school, then in his hometown of Ranchi how he misses his chance to play for the U-19 team how he takes a job as a ticket collector in the hope of representing Railways in the Ranji Trophy. Working with co-writer Dilip Jha, writer-director Neeraj Pandey uses the intermission to divide the Dhoni saga (from childhood till the 2011 World Cup) into two halves that could have been titled “persistence" and “payoff". Throughout the film, there are only a few instances of Dhoni being dismissed getting out, apparently, is for mortals. Batting in the nets for the first time, he hits the first ball back over the bowler’s head. When, as a young football enthusiast, he’s first handed wicket-keeping gloves, he drops the first few catches, then latches on to everything after that. It’s the treatment: the way things fall into place the way they rarely do in real life. Right from the start, this is a fairy tale disguised as an underdog story.This is not to say that the film isn’t faithful to the broader details of Dhoni’s life and career.