My views on the film are irrelevant. The public has given its verdict. Dhoni, like many times on the field, has hit a Century at the box office aswell. 100 Crores. And that's the magic of Dhoni. In his inimitable style he keeps most cards truly hidden in his pocket and reveals only the amount that is needed to get a last ball victory!
But no matter how well the film has done, it largely remains a disappointing biography. Because it promises to tell you the untold story and does literally that. It does not delve into his psyche, pole vaults over some major events in his cricketing life and is boringly uncontroversial. It's disappointing when an unconventional player like him plays with a straight bat.
Neeraj Pandey in the past has made films like 'A Wednesday', 'Special 26' and 'Baby', so we do expect a bit more from him ( Come to think of it, it is going down hill!!!). But when you are making the biography of 'THE most influential' cricketer in India, you got to tread safely (I guess). So no mentions of any problems on and off the field, no mention of Rhiti Sports, no mention of Srinivasan. The most interesting, spicy and dirty details are kept hidden, while we are subjected to a laborious second half that drags on and on about his love life. There is also a parallel track of an alcoholic friend, that is abruptly cut out in the 2nd half.
But it's not all bad. We do get a glimpse of his childhood, his friends and his struggles. Also, Sushant gets into the skin of the character and walks the talk. If you ignore the poor CGI, the cricketing bits are also nicely done. Plus, Sushant is well backed up by a competent cast. Look out for the guy who plays 'AK Ganguly' - Kali Prasad Mukherjee is brilliant!
Should you watch the film? Yeah, it's not bad. But don't look out for an insight into what made him such an amazing batsman, or how did he become such an astute thinker/leader - because this is not a character study. Also, it's kinda taxing at a run time of close to 3 hours. It's almost as if you are watching Dhoni bat in a test match, where there is no target to achieve and he is blocking everything for that last ball six!
Rating: 4/10
But no matter how well the film has done, it largely remains a disappointing biography. Because it promises to tell you the untold story and does literally that. It does not delve into his psyche, pole vaults over some major events in his cricketing life and is boringly uncontroversial. It's disappointing when an unconventional player like him plays with a straight bat.
Neeraj Pandey in the past has made films like 'A Wednesday', 'Special 26' and 'Baby', so we do expect a bit more from him ( Come to think of it, it is going down hill!!!). But when you are making the biography of 'THE most influential' cricketer in India, you got to tread safely (I guess). So no mentions of any problems on and off the field, no mention of Rhiti Sports, no mention of Srinivasan. The most interesting, spicy and dirty details are kept hidden, while we are subjected to a laborious second half that drags on and on about his love life. There is also a parallel track of an alcoholic friend, that is abruptly cut out in the 2nd half.
But it's not all bad. We do get a glimpse of his childhood, his friends and his struggles. Also, Sushant gets into the skin of the character and walks the talk. If you ignore the poor CGI, the cricketing bits are also nicely done. Plus, Sushant is well backed up by a competent cast. Look out for the guy who plays 'AK Ganguly' - Kali Prasad Mukherjee is brilliant!
Should you watch the film? Yeah, it's not bad. But don't look out for an insight into what made him such an amazing batsman, or how did he become such an astute thinker/leader - because this is not a character study. Also, it's kinda taxing at a run time of close to 3 hours. It's almost as if you are watching Dhoni bat in a test match, where there is no target to achieve and he is blocking everything for that last ball six!
Rating: 4/10
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