Deepika Padukone on playing Kapil Dev’s wife in Kabir Khan’s upcoming sports-drama, which recreates India’s first cricket World Cup win and is fronted by her husband, Ranveer Singh, who plays the former skipper
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 13, 2019)

After wrapping up her maiden home production, Chhapaak, in which her protagonist is inspired by acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, Deepika Padukone had air-dashed to London for ’83. The sports-drama is fronted by her better half, Ranveer Singh, who is playing the role of Kapil Dev, the former Indian cricket captain who lead the team to World Cup victory. The actress plays the skipper’s wife, Romi Dev, in the Kabir Khan directorial. The film marks the couple’s first collaboration since they tied the knot in November last year.

Ask Deepika if the couple’s real life chemistry will reflect on screen and she says, “As actors, you don’t think about your personal equations while doing a film. You are fully focused on the moment and the character. You cease to exist as the person you are and only live the character that you are playing. Our personal equation won’t have any role to play in this film.”

Before joining the team in the Queen’s city, the actress had multiple interactions with Romi to get the nuances of her character right. “I feel so inspired every time I meet her. She has an extremely refreshing energy, is intelligent, knowledgeable, and funny,” she smiles. What’s the one quality she admires about her muse? “I like her candour. Romi ji is someone who is extremely honest and when she needs to express herself, she does it with a lot of dignity. I like the way she conducts herself with so much grace,” Deepika asserts.

Kapil Dev has spoken on several occasions about the role his wife has played in his success as a cricketer. Deepika agrees that Romi is his support system and explains that this was what got her on board. “At the end of day, for any champion, the drive, commitment and dedication must come from within. But yes, having a solid support system is important as it allows the person to work without holding back, without any kind of emotional burden. In that sense, Romi ji has played an extremely important part in Kapil Dev’s success,” she reasons, adding that this shows how much Romi admires Kapil for who he is, beyond his success. “In a way, I think this has also helped him stay grounded. These characteristics are very important in the journey to success.”

The film went on the floors on June 5 in Glasgow and Deepika joined the team during the London schedule. After finishing her portions, she returned to India and will be resuming work on the film in the upcoming schedules which will take place back home. “It has been fun; it’s a passion project. The boys are having a lot of fun because cricket is obviously something that they all enjoy playing, so they don’t feel like they are shooting,” she informs.

In a crucial game against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup, India was struggling at 17 runs at the loss of five wickets, when Kapil Dev took charge, scoring match-winning 175 runs in 138 balls to take his team into the semi-finals. Sunil Gavaskar labeled it as the greatest ODI knock ever. However, the match was not recorded and apart from the spectators in the stadium, not many got to witness this historic innings by the former Indian captain. “Certain moments were not captured on camera, and I think the closest we will ever get to that is through this film, that’s what makes the journey really exciting,” Deepika points out.

That apart, she believes it is important to tell this story for two reasons — for the youngsters who don’t realize what a great victory it was and for the ones who witnessed it. “So, it will be a great film to enlighten a generation that was probably not around during the 1983 World Cup and relive the memories with those who were,” informs Deepika.

Ranveer’s look as Kapil Dev took the digital world by surprise, as one couldn’t find too many differences between the real and the reel.

What can one expect from Deepika’s Romi? “Wait and watch,” she winks.

Lastly, badminton ace Prakash Padukone’s daughter articulates her thoughts on India’s first World Cup win. “I find the victories of athletes in the past were hard-fought and well-earned because of the circumstances in which they won these trophies — the lack of infrastructure, finance and knowledge. Anyone who won in that time, be it in cricket or any other sport, did it with sheer determination and passion. Today, I feel there is a lot more awareness, the facilities are better and so is the infrastructure,” she concludes.