83: Ranveer Singh, Pankaj Tripathi & team are a perfect mix of performances, direction & cinematic brilliance

The cast of Kabir Khan's movie, 83 includes Ranveer Singh, Pankaj Tripathi, Ammy Virk, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Jiiva, Saqib Saleem, Jatin Sarna, Chirag Patil, Dinker Sharma, Nishant Dahiya, Harrdy Sandhu, Sahil Khattar, Boman Irani, Adinath Kothare, Dhairya Karwa, Neena Gupta, all in pivotal roles. The film truly deserves no introduction for its talks precede the film, and so does the event that it narrates.

Without getting all detailed about everything that the movie does, let's dive right into everything that the movie stands for and beautifully so!

Performances

Ranveer Singh mirrors everything that we could possibly imagine Kapil Dev be, right from the seriousness he has to the respect and love he personifies for the game of cricket, he doesn't miss anything. And well, due credits to the writers and everyone in the team, for taking care of all the minutest of details. His dialogue delivery is to the point, be it his speech during that bus ride right before the first match or this one time when he tells wife Romi, '

When he talks about that Tarakpur story and says: Jab koi kehta hai itna kiya bht kiya tab mera dimag fir jata hai. Itna utna karne nahi aya hu main! There's not enough space here to right about the intricacies he gets right, and there's not enough that can be said. 

Moving on to another most important and lovely character in the film, is PR Man Singh, played by Pankaj Tripathi. Right from the first scene, up until the final moments of the movie, his vibe is supreme. He has this accent, and these choices of words, which all come so naturally, that you truly are taken back to the good old days when we lifted the trophy and the entire journey that takes us there. He is funny, but he is also this gem of a person, and mentor too, to the team.

With short and sweet roles, Neena Gupta, Deepika Padukone, and everyone else who might not have played very elaborate roles in the movie, are shown to have played significant roles in Kapil and everyone else's lives, and that's beautiful.

Some of my personal favourites include Sahil's Kirmani. That moment when he steps in the match last but together, lead them to the win, is absolutely amazing. Every single of the cricketers are a gem, to say the least. Jatin Sarna is another great performance as Yashpal, and you feel that vibe for every minute that he is on the screen. Dhairya Karwa's Ravi Shastri, Nishant Dahiya's Roger Binny, Chirag Patil's Sandeep, Hardy Sandhu's Madan Lal, R Badree as Sunil, Dinker Sharma as Kirti; these are all actors who have done their part well, and how.

One of the finest performances to watch is of Jiiva's Srikkanth, the fun, the seriousness, and oh, that speecy at the party where he does not let a reporter just get the better of Kapil, it is mind blowing. He says: I don't think he'll be happy with the rather splendid job he has done so far, he'll only be happy when he's holding the World Cup in his hands. Tahir Bhasin as Sunil is also an amazing feat to watch, the senior that he is, he displays that how, and his acting chops are to the point and how. Another amazing performance is by Ammy's Sandhu, the comic timing, the seriousness when needed, and the moments that each one of them have alone, and together, are all worth the watch and leave you in awe of the India team on the screen and the team from '83. Saqib as Amarnath is also quite a great performer in the movie, and we also see his dynamics with his father and how he is trying to do him proud. Boman Irani, is another fun watch, and at more than just one moments, we all resonate with what he's feeling while on the stands.

The Good

Multiple moments in the movie come to a full circle, and beautiful so. One that we as viewers were all awaiting was how Man Singh asks why does the Indian team not have access to all stadiums but the Lord's and people at the office smirk, saying how they will give him one when they reach the finals, and guess what happens? 

Also, the movie has some of the beautiful transitions for how things originally happened v/s how we see it now. There are all these moments in the movie that show the power of cricket, right from how it brings people together to how the Pakistan soldiers at the border stop the firing on final match day so that the Indian soldiers can hear the commentary in peace. All these moments might have easily seemed to be superficial, but the matter of fact is, they don't.

The scenes that move you are immense, but oh, that win after the first match and the one in their finals, a true-blue cricket fan lives for these moments, and seeing it on the big screen, is pure bliss. There are a little too many moments that take you to that time and saying all that, might mean me spelling the movie out for you. However, rest assured, it is these moments that are worth to watch, even though you might know what happened in those matches.

Moving on to the direction, it is amazing and pitch perfect, as usual. For a sports drama, it is all about getting the right shot, both literally and otherwise, and Khan has done a great job at it. The cinematography is brilliant, and creatives have made sure that there is attention to detail, and how. 

The background music, and the songs, all are absolutely amazing and they totally add to what we see and how we see it. The BG score that plays during the final moments or the beautiful songs that 'Bigadne De' and 'Lehra Do' are, they sure hit the right chords.

Verdict

A cricket fan or not, you will love the movie and enjoy the experience and how! Right from the performances to the direction to the music, and every single element that there is in the movie, they all have come together in just the right amounts to give you watch truly is cinematic brilliance, in both looks and feelings.

Ratings: 4/5