Directed by neeraj pandey
Produced
by arun pandey
Music
by sanjoy chowdhary
Neeraj Pandey attempts a biopic
on the life of M.S.Dhoni. Well, thats a towering challenge considering the
stature and fan following that Dhoni has along with some of the criticisms that
he is part of. Also the fact that Mahi as he is fondly called by his close
associates and relatives is still very much active in International cricket and
that makes it almost a herculean task for Neeraj and his team to deliver it big.After
watching M.S.Dhoni: The Untold Story, what that comes up to our mind is
'Playing It My Way", the autobiography of Sachin Tendulkar. Just like
the book on Sachin, this film on MSD also choose the safe passage of staying
away from some controversial innings of the cricketer's life that would have
made the film much more exciting paving the way for some hot discussions in the
coming days.Of course, some little known but interesting things are shown but
overall the film with all the limitations in the form of Dhoni's active
involvement in International cricket in the shorter and slam bang versions of
the game even now puts it on a safe and watchable platform.The story, well
doesn't need a big guessing game as such. Its the rise of the boy from a little
known place called Ranchi who went on to become one of the most successful
captain of Team India.
Captain Cool as he is referred
to, the movie throw lights on his initial years before getting noticed and also
gives a picture on how he comes into the limelight of Indian cricket.Beginning
from the year of his birth in 1981 till 2011 when India wins the World Cup, the
film is a journey of how he achieve success and who all are the people behind
his transformation to a successful cricketer. A highly impressive first half is
where the film scores more and it is this portion that really show his real
life from where he starts from scratch and become one of the best finishers of
modern day cricket. Little known things like how he learns the famous
helicopter shot, Mahi getting the autograph of Sachin for a fellow passenger
during a flight journey, his rivalry with Yuvraj Singh at the domestic level
when the two are yet to make their International debut are all some highlights
that catch your attention. That World Cup winning moment both the T20 and 50
over finals gets recreated and are truly goosebumps creating moments for anyone
who loves the game.
The shift in focus in the second
half towards the romantic side of Dhoni's life, the movie loosen its style and
pace. Screenplay is not that effective and is primarily intended in glorifying
the cricketer and in that the director has succeeded. So for the fans of MSD,
it is a treat but for others it is partly good.There is no mention of any
controversies connected with the IPL fiasco nor does the names of senior
cricketers mentioned during a selection committee meeting where Dhoni bats for
youth and for taking some tough decisions. They have purposefully blacked out
the voice part in that scene. The reason for Dhoni getting himself promoted up
the order in World cup finals ahead of a padded Yuvraj was a discussion point
those days and the answer to that is there in the movie.At three hours the
duration is on the higher side but it doesn't affect the pace as such in a big
way.For Sushant Singh Rajput, its never an easy task filling into Dhoni's shoes
and transforming himself to a cricketer on screen. The challenge was huge but
the actor has put in lot of efforts which is clearly evident from his body
language. The way Dhoni walks, his facial expressions and body movement all of
which are so familiar to us have been given a perfect face lift by the actor
and it was a ideal casting. All those cricketing shots when he plays for India
I believe have been morphed but at the domestic level cricket we can see
Sushant perfectly enacting the shots that Dhoni plays.Anupam Kher though had
little role effectively did his part as Dhoni's father Paan Singh Dhoni. Rajesh
Sharma was a notable actor among the supporting side as he was entrusted to
play the role of MSD's coach during his school days. Both the heroines Disha
Patani and Kiara Advani were not bad. Bhoomika Chawla in a less prominent role
couldn't do much.
Verdict:
Overall,
MS.Dhoni: The Untold Story is not a bad attempt considering the challenge it
had but it falls short of something exceptional. Definitely a must watch film
if you are a die-hard fan of cricketer Dhoni but for a normal audience its just
a passable film.
Rating
- 3 / 5
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