Making a known story a compelling watch is difficult. Kabir Khan should be praised for the hard work, research, authenticity, casting and sincerity
Sports movies are not common in India. We have had a few like ‘Chak de’ and ‘GOLD’, based on free India’s first hockey Gold medal in 1948 Olympics. Sports movies are difficult. It takes a lot of research, time and plenty of money for recreating the scenes. But why did Kabir Khan chose to make ‘83’? Was it only to cash in on the “Nationalism” narrative, or the context was larger? So, before we analyse the cricketing angle, let’s first look at the human angle and the national context.
India won the Hockey world cup in 1975, beating arch-rival Pakistan in the finals. How many of our ever die-hard jingoistic brethren remember that event? It had plenty of potential for the “nationalism” pitch. It also had Pakistan as an ingredient. But India was the best Hockey playing nation in those days, and was expected to win.
Let’s check the India of 70s and 80s. Pakistan was roundly defeated in 1971, we had fired our first rocket, set-off our first nuclear test, thrown out and brought back a “dictator” democratically. But the nation/nationals still hadn’t been convinced that they quite had the respect of the world. Pankaj Tripathi quite rightly says so in the movie, 83. We were a growing military and scientific power, but underdogs in economic and sporting arenas.
There was a yearning for that respect. Individually, many made incremental progresses in many fields in different parts of the world, but at Lords, the nation “collectively” hit the bull’s eye. Kapil’s Devils believed and won.
The perennial nice guys, the members of the underdog Indian team, achieved something which the Gowers and Bothams of England, the Imrans and Qadirs of Pakistan, the Lillees and Chappells of Australia could not achieve. Considered unfit to be even called the “David”, they felled the Goliath.
I entered the hall with some trepidation. Could there be adulteration of the India story of the Prudential World Cup ‘83? Those below 40 years will try to absorb, gauge it from the filmi angle, some from the nationalist angle; and they are the target audience of Kabir Khan. He is an adroit filmmaker and has injected ample doses of human drama, deftly compressed for screen time, along-with high-on-adrenaline, foot-tapping “pitch-burners” like “Jitega-jitega”.
Comparing 2½ hours to 17 days of unparalleled cricketing exhilaration — what die-hard cricket lovers experienced from June 9 to 25, 1983, — would be unfair. But for our below 40 brethren, let’s just recount actuals.
The laughable irony was that the so-called no-hoper Indian team was actually quite strong. India in the first match itself, discovered potency of their pace attack. Kapil, Madan, Binny, Sandhu bowling at 125-130 kmph, were perfect for the June weather in England. They felled the mighty West Indies in the Cup opener, setting the cat among the pigeons.
England and Australia were busy heaping racist insults on sub-continental teams, unaware of the impending danger and got famously mauled. The build-up to that famous “Do and Die” Zimbabwe match and finals has been fabulously captured by Kabir Khan; though not the off-course details of the heaps of insults in the commentary box during the return league match with WI. One had to hear it to really understand the English contempt.
Zimbabwe had seriously good bowlers in Rawson, Curran, Butchart, Flecher. The 17/5 was no surprise. Kapil beautifully crafted his first 50 runs and then unleashed absolute havoc.
Kabir Khan could not quite capture on camera, what we simply heard in radio, that gut-wrenching, unbelievable journey from 50 to 175 not out. Commentators Henry Blofeld, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Farroukh Engineer were left in absolute daze and so was the cricketing world.
The Windies were invincible. PERIOD. Murderous pace attack. Loads of swag and arrogance. No one gave India any chance. But there was a backdrop then. India’s rivalry with this particular team dated back to 1974. They handed us a series defeat 3-2 on the sixth day of last test at Mumbai. Mauled in Australia they wanted to thrash us in 1976 in West Indies, but again that didn’t happen and India levelled the series 1-1 with that famous last innings chase of 400+. In the decider Lloyd, with intimidatory bowling (round the wicket) injured three batsmen, and India virtually conceded the match. That wound was carried by all of us, growing up. It was the sweetest revenge.
Making a known story a compelling watch is difficult. Kabir needs to be praised for the hard work, research, authenticity, casting and sincerity. As director he has balanced sincerity towards his commerce with sincerity towards his craft. Kabir, well done!
(The writer is a finance professional and a cricket enthusiast. The views expressed are personal.)