I don’t think anything compares to India’s first cricket World Cup victory: Kabir Khan
Commemorating the 35th anniversary of our first cricket World Cup win, the filmmaker speaks to BT about his prep for the film that retells Team India’s journey
It has been a few months since the film revolving around India’s first cricket World Cup win in 1983 was announced. Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the win, which probably no cricket fan back in the day had expected — India beat West Indies at the Lords cricket ground in England.
Director Kabir Khan, who is working on the script of the film, says that he has been approaching the project like a journalist, tracking down people from all over the world who have stories or anecdotes to share. “People have narrated some very interesting behind-the scenes episodes and incidents. I have even been to Lord’s and discovered many old manuscripts. I’ve seen original handwritten score cards of the World Cup. I’ve also traced a bhangra group that used to attend all the matches that India played. They are all about 60 years old now and brimming with stories. They told me about the clashes they hand with the English fans when India defeated England in the semi-finals,” says Kabir.
While Kabir prepares to retell the story of 1983, India’s consequent World Cup win in 2011 was touched upon in MS Dhoni’s biopic two years ago. Bring this up and Kabir, a known sports enthusiast, says, “I don’t think anything compares to the first victory. In 2011, we were hot favourites. What is really fascinating about 1983 is that we went in as the lowest-rated ODI side in the world. There were newspaper articles in London, questioning why India was even part of the tournament. So, India winning the cricket World Cup in 1983 was unexpected. The feeling would be similar if Afghanistan were to win it in 2019. They were a bunch of young men, travelling with a man who was the coach, manager and butler rolled into one. They were given 15 pounds a day to eat and make calls at home. This will be new for the young generation, because today, when we say cricketers, they imagine men driving fancy cars. We pretty much know what happened on the field, the real story lies off it.”
On Tuesday, Ranveer Singh, who plays Kapil Dev in the film, took to social media, reminding the world about the 1983 win. When asked about how involved he is with the film at this point, Kabir admits that he keeps his hero abreast with everything he gets to know about the 1983 tournament so that he is ready to face the camera towards the end of the year. “It’s the kind of project that needs a long prep. Initially, we will shoot portions in India, which don’t need Ranveer or the other actors,” says the director, adding that he is still working out details of whether the asli khiladis of the 1983 squad can be a part of the film’s cast. “As of now, they are involved with the scripting, because the film is based on their anecdotes. Some of them will also be involved in coaching the actors who will play cricketers, because these are living legends whose mannerisms and body language are still vivid in public memory,” Kabir sums up.
Commemorating the 35th anniversary of our first cricket World Cup win, the filmmaker speaks to BT about his prep for the film that retells Team India’s journey
It has been a few months since the film revolving around India’s first cricket World Cup win in 1983 was announced. Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the win, which probably no cricket fan back in the day had expected — India beat West Indies at the Lords cricket ground in England.
Director Kabir Khan, who is working on the script of the film, says that he has been approaching the project like a journalist, tracking down people from all over the world who have stories or anecdotes to share. “People have narrated some very interesting behind-the scenes episodes and incidents. I have even been to Lord’s and discovered many old manuscripts. I’ve seen original handwritten score cards of the World Cup. I’ve also traced a bhangra group that used to attend all the matches that India played. They are all about 60 years old now and brimming with stories. They told me about the clashes they hand with the English fans when India defeated England in the semi-finals,” says Kabir.
While Kabir prepares to retell the story of 1983, India’s consequent World Cup win in 2011 was touched upon in MS Dhoni’s biopic two years ago. Bring this up and Kabir, a known sports enthusiast, says, “I don’t think anything compares to the first victory. In 2011, we were hot favourites. What is really fascinating about 1983 is that we went in as the lowest-rated ODI side in the world. There were newspaper articles in London, questioning why India was even part of the tournament. So, India winning the cricket World Cup in 1983 was unexpected. The feeling would be similar if Afghanistan were to win it in 2019. They were a bunch of young men, travelling with a man who was the coach, manager and butler rolled into one. They were given 15 pounds a day to eat and make calls at home. This will be new for the young generation, because today, when we say cricketers, they imagine men driving fancy cars. We pretty much know what happened on the field, the real story lies off it.”
On Tuesday, Ranveer Singh, who plays Kapil Dev in the film, took to social media, reminding the world about the 1983 win. When asked about how involved he is with the film at this point, Kabir admits that he keeps his hero abreast with everything he gets to know about the 1983 tournament so that he is ready to face the camera towards the end of the year. “It’s the kind of project that needs a long prep. Initially, we will shoot portions in India, which don’t need Ranveer or the other actors,” says the director, adding that he is still working out details of whether the asli khiladis of the 1983 squad can be a part of the film’s cast. “As of now, they are involved with the scripting, because the film is based on their anecdotes. Some of them will also be involved in coaching the actors who will play cricketers, because these are living legends whose mannerisms and body language are still vivid in public memory,” Kabir sums up.
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