Kabir Khan on why his Ranveer Singh-starrer is a definitive story of India’s first cricket World Cup win
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 20, 2019)

On September 10, director Kabir Khan kicked off the second and final schedule of his next directorial, the Ranveer Singh-starrer ’83, in Mumbai. In the month-long shoot, he is filming on a set that recreates backdrops from the era that no longer exist in London.

The filmmaker believes that his sportsdrama will be a definitive film on India’s historic cricket World Cup win in 1983. “I may sound a tad pompous, but if things weren’t recorded back then, they are now. We interviewed hundreds of eye-witnesses who told us how exactly things unfolded. A lot of effort has gone into staying true to the details of the shots played,” Kabir smiles.

The director goes on to share that he was “overloaded” with anecdotes and stories when he was writing the script. “I spent more than one and a half years with people who witnessed the games—from commentators and players to the people in the stands. I had to evaluate every story, and then decide which of them would make it to the script,” he reveals, adding, “It’s good to have so many great stories to choose from.”

By his own admission, his leading man is a chameleon as an actor. “Ranveer is one of those gifted people who can turn into any character. If you see his last few roles, it’s difficult to believe that they are all played by one person. He has spent a lot of time with Kapil Dev (Indian skipper in 1983 whom the actor portrays in the film) in Delhi and has beautifully picked up his persona. More than the make-up, his expressions have done the work,” Kabir maintains.

The filmmaker also admits that his game improved significantly while prepping for the Sajid Nadiadwala, Madhu Mantena, Shibasish Sarkar and Vishnu Induri production. “Which Indian boy doesn’t know cricket?” he asks, adding, “I’ve always been into sports and played cricket a lot in school and college, but never at a higher level. In the course of this film, all of us became slightly better because we had world-class coaches working with us, from Kapil Dev himself to Balwinder Sandhu. Cricket was being played on camera and off it too.”