83 - A Journey Retold

83 movie poster

83 - A Journey Retold

"Dhoni finishes it off in style, a magnificent strike into the crowd, India lift the World Cup after 28 years, the party starts in the dressing room, and it is an Indian captain who has been absolutely magnificent on the night of the finals."

These lines of Ravi Shastri still resonate inside the hearts of millions of Indian cricket fans post India’s famous 2011 CWC victory.

Dhoni's six in 2011 CWC

Rewind to June 25th, 1983. India vs West Indies, Final 1983 WC:

Mohinder Amarnath running up to bowl the last ball of the 52nd over. Michael Holding tried to defend the delivery but it stayed low hitting him on the pads. The crowd erupted along with the Indian team appealing for the leg before. Holding watched the umpire with dread as he raises his finger. That moment was when history was made, a legacy created.

Indians rushing into the pitch after beating west indies

83 was able to capture the essence of India’s famous first ever world cup. Personally, I would label India’s 1983 WC win a little higher than its 2011 victory. Winning an international trophy with a new captain and a team in which no one believed in was no easy task (I was getting vibes of Australia’s 2021 T20I world cup win and Leicester City’s 2015-16 Premier League win).

There were a lot of stellar performances from the Indian contingent and one could not write off anybody. Playing in the swinging England conditions is such a daunting challenge that the team overcame in their journey to the coveted title.

The WC winning Indian team had some big names like the Little Master Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath and the skipper Kapil Dev himself. The Indian team were clearly underdogs with the mighty West Indies boasting the likes of the legendary Viv Richards, Clive Llyod, the brutal pace trio – Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Andy Roberts who were tipped world cup favourites by everybody. But then, the India team did the impossible by defeating the Indies not once but twice eventually winning the trophy. For a nation that hasn't won even a world cup match, this trophy was monumental feather in its cap.

Indian 1983 WC team with the trophy

Ranveer Singh (Kapil Dev) did an amazing job – Kapil Dev’s bowling action is something that can’t be picked up so easily. Also, Jiiva (Kris Srikanth) picked up Srikanth’s slang so easily and was entertaining. There was also a cameo from Kapil Dev himself (Er, no spoilers uhm) and the movie also featured the younger version of our Master blaster. We were also able to witness Kapil’s breath-taking 175* vs Zimbabwe that bailed Team India from deep waters.

There were other scenes too that assures to give you goose bumps. Finally, to end with a note, 83 was an absolute emotional roller-coaster experience that takes you through the journey of the Indian team’s first world cup victory and is a must watch for all cricket enthusiasts. Here's the trailer of the movie if you haven't watched.


P.S. (Not a promotion) If you haven’t watched Nani’s Jersey, then maybe you should.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If I Had A Love Story - Chapter 13

Image
Chapter 13 The light from the projector illuminated the dust in front of it as the computer screen evaporated onto the white screen. Detailed illustrated pictures filled the screen (There were plenty of circles and several coloured lines drawn through them. "Y type printing unit (KBA)" the text below the picture read). I scribbled the diagram onto my notebook. The circles looked ragged and the lines looked lot more like waves. I strangely developed feelings for the fillings in the sandwiches. That's because I was apparently sandwiched in between two giant sized breads. I often struggled to ease myself and would rather take the monkey route of jumping over tables whenever I needed to get out. That day was different. The bench behind was empty and I occupied the whole of it. Easing myself well below now, my legs one over another and I spread out my hands on both sides of the bench taking it all to myself. I wasn't claustrophobic but it felt good to have the whole be...
Read more

The Sip Before I Said It

Image
The Sip Before I Said It The city honked and howled beneath us, but on the foot-over bridge, it was just Diya and me — quiet, almost untouched. The traffic looked like a movie scene running 10x in slow motion. From the bridge, under the dark night sky, the lonely moon shone brightly upon the little stars on the roads. Somehow everything felt different that day, more beautiful than usual. We got down the bridge and walked towards Third Wave Coffee. The place was bustling with people as always. The outdoor ambience was cool with trees and fountains. We were busy chatting about work and only paid attention to the obstacles on our way to Third Wave Coffee. I opened the door for her, and a strong gust of air from the air curtain hit me. We went inside, and luckily there were only a few people. The place was calm, with the scent of coffee lingering in the air. She looked simple and unbothered — in a light shirt top, black track and those little jhumkas she always wore like a signat...
Read more

A Romanticist's Flash Fiction - II

Image
Here's me back once again to take a dig at my ability to write some romantic flash fiction. 1 The streetlight dimmed for a moment before it went out. I stood alone under one of those now lifeless streetlights, gazing at the alluring moonlit sky. Under the ethereal glow of the moon light, at a distance I saw her gleaming sapphire eyes moving towards me and then she walked past me. I noticed nothing except for her giggle. A gentle breeze swept through, creating a symphony of rustle that harmonized with her giggle. Now, if I could just go back in time, I would only wish that when I see that pretty girl on that well-moonlit night, I’ll have the courage to go up to her and talk.   2 The platform was almost empty. I rushed down a few stairs before I saw her at a distance, staring at the departure board. “Missed it?” I asked, my tone more amused than annoyed. She slowly nodded. “Barely.” “Maybe you were meant to.” We settled on a bench for an hour, talking about ev...
Read more