I strongly believe that “Legends are not born in a day nor miracles can make Legends, there’s a lot more of sweat that’s put in there.”
Having seen the rise, the story & the struggle behind the stardom of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in this film, I feel his life, the transformation from an ordinary boy to a legendary Indian Cricket team captain happened in between the switch from one coat to another!
Coming back to the movie, a lot of buzz was there in the media & public equally around this movie. Purely because this movie is based on the life of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of the most loved & successful captain of Indian Cricket team. Well, I had my fears of how well or not Sushant Singh Rajput would fare while portraying the lead role.
What Worked for Me:
Sushant Singh Rajput: Yes this guy has completely nailed it as M.S. Dhoni in the film. From working on physique for looking as a teenage school boy to working on his looks for adapting all the varied M.S. Dhoni famous signature styles to perfecting his cricketing shots. This actor has done it all and that too with great confidence which makes him convincing in the role of the famous cricketer.
Casting: For each of the characters related to M.S. Dhoni’s personal life the casting has been done superbly. Anupam Kher, Rajesh Sharma, Kumud Mishra, Herry Tangri (as young Yuvraj Singh), Kiara Advani, Disha Patani and others made the untold story much more easier to tell with their marvelous performances.
The brilliant second half of the movie. The speed, editing & storytelling adapted here if had been followed in the first half the movie, it would have scored more on entertainment quotient!
Some of the most personal life moments of Dhoni have been included in the movie.
The direction of the film is good.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
To the best of my knowledge there was no mention of Dhoni’s ‘Helicopter’ shot in the movie. Also the moments when he became captain of Indian team & the controversies during his captaincy period and beyond have been avoided. Only a slight mention of the controversy related to his typical style of team selection has been included in the film
The movie tells about M.S. Dhoni’s journey from childhood to becoming the cricket legend, he was and he continues to be. But as a viewer I missed that the pictures of his real family and friends who are shown in the movie weren’t displayed. I feel those people who supported him relentlessly could have been given a small moment of fame too!
As a viewer I would also have loved to see towards the end before subtitles maybe what he went on to do after wining the World Cup.
The first half of movie was a little slow barring few scenes of him hitting sixes in his school match etc.
Story:
The film is a biopic on the famous Indian Cricket Captain M.S. Dhoni. The first half of movie depicts the birth, his introduction to cricket & up till Dhoni becoming a ‘ticket collector’ in Indian Railways. While the second half revolves around him taking a bold step and returning to his home town to pursue cricket, his love life, marriage & success in the World Cup 2011.
Verdict:
M.S. Dhoni – The Untold Story movie could have been made better had it not been cautiously focused on Dhoni’s childhood & development to a known cricketing legend. Though I understand the makers of this film have tried to avoid any possible controversy by excluding some major controversies in the cricketing career of but then all cricket lovers would have wanted to know Dhoni’s side of story. Having said that the movie still manages to keep you along in every moment of Dhoni’s life journey which is the best part of this film. Songs are good especially Besabbriyan in Armaan Malik’s voice & Jab tak which have become chart busters.
I will give this film a 3.5/5 stars.
The film is a must one time watch to seriously know the inspiring untold story behind Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s journey to become the most celebrated Indian Cricket Captain!
