83

 

Leharaa do!!!

Watched the movie 83 today and I was literally bowled over!!!

In other words, I was clean bowled!

This movie gave me a taste of our past glory and let me revive the memories of that amazing World Cup that I watched with enthusiasm as a kid. It was like a festival then, the thrill and excitement on our win was remarkable to say the least. Everyone was glued to their television sets or radio sets back then as we watched history being created.

The Indian team was nothing but the underdog and we did the unthinkable then. The patriotic fervor was sky high and we could feel the josh in every player. Kapil Dev and Mohinder Amarnath were my favourites then. We knew all the players so well that we imitated their peculiar styles. Watching this movie made me nostalgic. This was the first movie I watched in the theatre after the pandemic. The movie hall had just a few patrons and I was masked all through the movie. I had to watch this on the big screen and I am glad I did.

This movie made me cry, laugh, cheer and clap and scream. It gave me goosebumps and made my heart flutter when I saw Kapil Dev and Mohinder Amarnath, my cricket idols. We all know the story but still I felt thrilled and excited. Seeing the tricolour and hearing all the songs made my heart race with pride.

I am full of admiration for Kabir Khan for taking up this mammoth task of recreating such an iconic moment in Indian history. He really did a great job. What a task it must have been to bring forth the same emotions and do the right casting for each of the characters portrayed! The scenes were realistic and the background score and the songs were amazing. This movie struck a chord and touched my heart. I was transported to 1983 even as the world was in the clutches of the Corona pandemic. This movie made me so emotional. My mask was wet with my tears and my glasses got foggy. I could not wait to share my views of the movie and discuss it with my husband who had watched it earlier. I felt I had witnessed the match in a stadium. After watching so many movies and series on television and my laptop since the pandemic, this was really a treat for my eyes.

I am not a fan of Ranveer Singh but I must say he was superb as Kapil Dev. Each of the others in the Indian team and even the West Indies team were so apt for their roles. Special mention of Vivian Richards and Clive Lloyds too. I don't think it was necessary to bring in Deepika Padukone for this movie. Maybe they just wanted to come together after their wedding for this movie.

I must add that this movie will have a different influence on those who have actually watched this match in the year 1983 as compared to those who were not born at that time. The younger generation may not feel the same nostalgia that we do after watching this movie so they may not find it that impactful. There are some really wonderful moments captured in the movie and it has a nice in it when the movie jumps from one timeline to the next when it tries to show us the comparisons between what it was actually in the year 1983. We see visuals of the real 1983 heroes on the screen and we are filled with awe.

This movie was a spectacular experience for me, maybe more so as it was my first movie in a movie theatre after nearly two years. After all the many movies and series I have been watching at home, this came as a great refreshing experience. I urge you to watch this movie without fail and relive that momentous World Cup win. Trust me, it will surely bowl you over!