Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 24, 2014)

One of the most memorable matches in the history of cricket will soon get an onscreen adaptation. Plans are afoot to immortalise the Kapil Dev-led Team India’s ICC World Cup victory over the mighty West Indies at Lord's Cricket Ground on 25 June 1983.

Refuting speculation that he is planning a film on Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), Vishnu Vardhan Induri, the founder and MD of the League, disclosed to Mirror: “The film will be the official biography of India's first big win that was instrumental in putting the country on the international map.”

The film is being planned on a lavish scale and will trace the journey of the 14 players who brought the Cup home, both on and off the field. To stay true to the facts, Vishnu is in regular talks with Dev and other members of the World Cup-winning team. “We want them to officially be on board and give their inputs on the script. I also want them to take part in the promotions. We will sign A-list actors to play Dev and Sunil Gavaskar.”

According to a source close to the development, the players, who started the tournament as underdogs and returned as champions, will be seen playing themselves on screen. However, Vishnu insists that 70 per cent of the actors from the CCL league will step into the shoes of these legends. “If the script, which should be locked in a couple of weeks, requires real cricketers, you will see them on screen. But, this is a big-budget commercial film along the lines of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. So, it’s mostly going to be actors playing the cricketers,” he says.

The film will be helmed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, whose directorial debut, Lahore, won him a National Award. 
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Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; March 24, 2014)

Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan of Lahore fame is all set to direct a film that revolves around the India’s victory at the 1983 World Cup.

Produced by Vishnu Vardhan Induri, the founder-president of Celebrity Cricket League, the film will tell the story of the Indian cricket team and how it won the tournament that was played in the UK 31 years ago.
It may be pointed here that Shimit Amin was also considered to direct this film.

Says a source, “One wonders why the producers chose Sanjay over Shimit. The producers seem to be more confident about Sanjay’s skills. They feel he will be able to devote time and energy towards a film of this nature.” A source close to the unit says, “The film’s script has been finalised and pre-production work has already begun. They plan to recreate the 1983 moments. The film will be a big project and the makers are leaving no stone unturned to do justice to the story.” It is learnt that the film would cost around Rs 50 crore.

An international casting agency will also be hired for the film.

The filmmaker now plans to meet the cricketers who played in the 1983 World Cup final in a bid to add to the film’s authenticity. The source says, “The film will be shot in those very stadiums where 1983 World Cup matches were played. The final will be shot at Lord’s cricket ground in London. It would be interesting to see on the big screen how Kapil Dev and his men, including Mohinder Amarnath, Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Balwinder Singh Sandhu, managed to win the tournament.”