The world cup victory is a milestone that demands a lot, on paper, from the filmmaker, of its fictional recreation on screen. Khan appears to go about things direct dil se—at times being rulebook faithful to reality, just as he takes fanciful liberties with things otherwise. Events we are certain would not have happened for real, but they fit in with Khan, and the film’s worldview. There is a conscious exercise to not be that perfect, brilliant, classic sports film but one that consciously packs in liberal doses of humour and a solid emotional wallop, however broad be the brushstrokes or simplistic be the stirrings. You flow along with even the most cringe expressions of nationalism: “Azaadi to jeet gaye, izzat jeetna baaki hai (We have won the independence but not the self-respect and dignity as yet).” You allow yourself to be emotionally manipulated with the blood on shirt and seven stitches of Dileep Vengsarkar in the face of the hostile short-pitched bowling from West Indies pacers. The suddenly friendly Pakistan on the border on the day of the finals and a woman in labour at the fall of the ninth West Indian wicket—you smirk, smile and willingly suspend your disbelief.
There is a spontaneous intimacy that gets fostered between the audience and Jimmy, Kaps, Humphreys, Jimpa, Madipa et al on screen. The actors do not entirely look or behave like the real-life heroes of the game, but it frees them from the shackles of mimicry to own the characters other ways. Ranveer Singh with the toothy grin and open face of Kapil Dev leads from the front with commitment and aplomb and talks with his eyes. Other team members also get defined in their own way, with Saqib Saleem as Mohinder Amarnath, Jiiva as Kris Srikkanth and Jatin Sarna as the belching Yashpal Sharma stealing the golden moments of the film. Wish there was some more of the Gavaskar and the supposed tension though. And then there are these sweet touches, of Mohinder Amarnath stepping in, in the role of his father, Lala Amarnath. Real Kapil Dev (not as himself) cheering on the reel Kapil Dev on screen and a tiny Sachin Tendulkar getting inspired to play the game.