IPL 2014.
Match between Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) and Rajasthan Royals(RR) at a stage when it seemed like KKR was going to win easily.In comes a leg-spinner to bowl the 16th over.He was not unfamiliar being the oldest ever debutant in IPL but even RR fans believed they have little chance against a team boasting of power-hitters with 7 wickets in hand.But what followed was nothing short of magic-in the course of next three balls(including a wide ball) three of the team’s most feared batsmen were in the pavilion none able to score even a run against their names.And KKR never recovered from the trauma that day...
The bowler was Pravin Tambe...
Kaun Pravin Tambe?
The movie begins with the present day narrative where Pravin Tambe(Shreyas Talpade) is portrayed to be a family man,who works as a construction supervisor.We soon get drawed into his passion for cricket-the love of his life.Evan at the age of nearly forty,Pravin is still tiring it out in the practice sessions still hoping for a spot in the Renji cricket team probables.However as good as he is being regarded by the selectors,they deny to name him in the list owing to his age.We are then taken back into the past where Tambe’s struggles to get into first class cricket is displayed where he tries to attain a balance between his personal life and professional life.However he used to be a medium pacer and the story shows how his coach,Vidya Paradkar(Ashish Vidyarthi) turns him into a leg spinner even against his own convictions.And the rest is history...
The pros
Shreyas Talpade has nailed the character perfectly.Though the profile of the veteran actor doesn’t have much similarity with the real life Tambe,he has worked well towards playing his role to perfection as the player Tambe.The bowling actions and the cricketing moments show that he has done his homework as expected.Ashish Vidyarthi does full justice to his coaching role and the conversations between the coach and the player are some of the best scenes in the whole movie.
What I liked most about the movie was how efficiently the director Jayprad Desai unfolds the story of the Tambe family over the years.Cricket was the passion that thrusted Pravin forward amongst his humdrum life.Its noteworthy how his family supported Tambe and his indomitable spirit despite the odds initially by his elder brother(Varoon Varma) and later by his wife,Vaishali(Anjali Patil).His passion for the sport is made evident in the way he chooses jobs based on his probability to continue playing while at work to realise his dream of making it to first class cricket.The success of the director is in that while giving due credit to his sporting career,he has also conveyed Pravin’s desperation plaintively in more than one occasion.
The relationship between Pravin and Vaishali has also been beautifully depicted.The chemistry was right between Talpade and Patil.From everyday trivial fights to sympathising with her husband’s condition,Anjali has been brilliant and is easily the best choice in casting.While being practical in life,she is a strong feminine character and the movie’s success is largely attributed to her on-screen presence.
The recreated IPL scenes felt real thanks to the beautiful blending of stock footage with cinematography.It felt as if those real life moments were relived towards the end of the movie.
The cons
Well,apart from Shreyas-Patil-Vidyarthi trio,the rest of the cast has been notably less imposing.Abey Kuruvila(Nitin Rao) especially looked less like his real time counterpart in terms of appearance and attitude.I also felt that the fictional character of Rajat Sanyal(Parambrata Chattopadhyay)was not really needed though it didn’t feel so while watching the movie.
Tambe in real life appears to be a ‘tough’ person known for his resolution and aggression which is never felt in Talpade’s performance.
The essence
There is only one actual villain in Tambe’s life and that is his bad luck.The movie portraits excellently how Tambe constantly fights against this string of misfortunes in his life as he always wanted to realise his dream.If someone like Rahul Dravid had something to say about Pravin Tambe,you can’t help noticing the passion for cricket in this player which was evident to others.And more than the love for the game,it was the self-belief and intense desire to succeed in life which made Tambe stand out from the crowd.
In real life...
Pravin Tambe made his IPL debut at the age of 41 in the 2013 edition of the tournament.He scalped 15 wickets in the 2014 edition including the hattrick against Kolkata.He was in contention for the auctions till 2020 and has played for two other franchises too.He also starred in the Abu Dhabi T10 league where he scripted yet another record being the first player to take a 5-wicket haul in T10 cricket including another hattrick.He eventually made it to Mumbai’s Ranji team in 2013-14 and realised his dream at an age before which cricketers usually retire!
In short...
Kaun Pravin Tambe is a wonderful biopic- a story of hardwork and resilience.It underlines the fact that age is just a number and one is never old to achieve anything-literally anything-in life.The key is to be focussed at all times and to put your best foot forward to claim what is rightfully yours!
A must-watch and highly recommended!
You can watch the movie “Kaun Pravin Tambe” on Disney+ hotstar.
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