A sportsman’s worth is determined by the performances that he puts in on that given day and at that given time. A Captain’s worth is determined by a sum collective of these performances and the result achieved. When the team wins the Captain is glorified, and on the days it doesn’t, vilified. Indian cricket has seen plenty of Captains come and go. As fans, our scrutiny and evaluations on a Captain’s decisions would give any psychologist a run for his money. Yet one man has time and again flummoxed an entire country both on and off the field. On September 30th, a curtain will lift and provide a glimpse of a man who has inspired millions – M.S. Dhoni.
As any Indian cricket fan, I’m waiting to watch his biopic and will book my tickets in Toronto. There have been many biopics on sports personalities and two of my favorites have been ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ — where Farhan Akhtar played Milkha’s role and Mary Kom – where Priyanka Chopra played the boxer’s role. Dhoni’s biopic however is likely to make headlines as ‘M.S. Dhoni — The Untold Story’ will not only cover the remarkable rise of the World Cup-winning captain, but will also reveal exciting facts of Dhoni’s personal life and journey, before he became a global sporting icon. For the uninitiated, the movie is expected to be a blockbuster.
He is Indian cricket’s ultimate outsider and he has always strived to remain outside of the limelight. To be unknowable has always worked for him and a biopic will certainly shed some light on a man that Indian fans essentially know nothing about. Post his retirement from Test cricket, I feel that we may not see him around much longer. It’s definitely all gone in a blur – A blur of press conferences, last-ball finishes, sixes, talk about “processes” etc. Dhoni has taken India to heights which it hasn’t seen before.
He has become one of the first icons of the Twenty20 generation: a one-of-a-kind cricketer who spawned thousands of lookalikes with his peerless last-over hitting; heralding the team through a stage when some of its best were retiring and ensuring the transition was smooth.
For someone who has done as much for Indian cricket, Dhoni invokes conflicted emotions. For all his success, the criticism he faces has never receded. If he hits a six off the last ball, he is the best India has ever seen. If he mishits by even a centimeter and it goes down deep long-on’s throat, he has ruined Indian cricket, is a selfish player and must immediately retire from the Indian cricket team.
Not many Indian cricketers have had biopics made on them, but it is easy to see why Dhoni’s story makes for an interesting story to any director. It is the story of a man from humble origins who made it to the biggest stage possible, gave the country its biggest successes in its favorite sport and yet never found universal adoration, and perhaps never will.
I was in Bombay during the 2011 World Cup and my friends and I caught the game at a bar. The moment he launched the ball for a six and sealed victory is one that I’ll never forget. Bombay came to a standstill that evening and everybody was out on the street celebrating. Strangers cheered each other on as I walked home and impromptu dancing on the streets was the norm. It is with a similar level of excitement that fans globally wait to glimpse Dhoni’s story and how he made his way to the Indian team. I for one, cannot wait to watch the biopic unfold. The untold story will finally be told.
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