83: “Ranveer Singh has combined athleticism and acting wonderfully to play my character” – Kapil Dev

Indian cricket is a classic rags-to-riches tale. Fame and wealth were never served to it on a platter. They had to be earned.

Any discussion hinging on the annals of Indian cricket would converge at a common point – the 1983 World Cup triumph. The story of India’s conquest is so well known and its context so extensively documented that they hardly need any reiteration.

It’s indeed surprising that this watershed moment in Indian cricket has taken nearly four decades to translate into celluloid. Finally, after several delays imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Kabir Khan’s 83 is slated for release on 24th December 2021.

The film’s trailer has already crossed a record 60 million views on YouTube and created unprecedented buzz since its release. Jointly produced by Deepika Padukone, Kabir Khan, Vishnu Vardhan Induri, Sajid Nadiadwala, Sheetal Vinod Talwar and Reliance Entertainment, 83 stars Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev and attempts to recreate the events from the glorious English summer of 1983.

The film’s promotions commenced in Kolkata as Kapil Dev and Kabir Khan engaged in a lively tête-à-tête with the city’s media personnel on a breezy Monday afternoon.

Here are the excerpts from the interaction:

“Calcutta has changed but not its passion for sports” – Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev Nikhanj shares a special bond with the City of Joy. The inhabitants of Kolkata were furious when the “Haryana Hurricane” was dropped from the team at the Eden Gardens during the 1984-85 Test series against England, on the flimsy pretext of “disciplinary measure”.

Consequently, the spectators famously protested with posters of "No Kapil No Test" and vented their ire on captain Sunil Gavaskar. It was the only Test Kapil had missed in his 16-year long international career.

Later, the dynamic all-rounder became the second Indian bowler to claim an ODI hat-trick when he ran through Sri Lanka’s middle order at the same venue in the 1991 Asia Cup final. In addition, he played some exhibition football matches for Kolkata’s heavyweight club East Bengal in 1992.

On being asked about the Test snub and his memories of the city, a nostalgic Kapil replied:

“Calcutta has changed a lot, but not its people. Their passion for sports remains the same. Regarding me not playing the 1984 Eden Test, I think it was alright. Sometimes you have to sit out. I made a mistake, so they dropped me. I learnt from the experience and tried not to repeat the mistake.”

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“I would’ve played my own character in the movie if it were made 20 years back!” – Kapil Dev

Anybody who has interacted with Kapil Dev is familiar with his great sense of humor. It was brought to the fore when a journalist asked him whether he would’ve liked to portray his own character in the movie.

“I’m not so young; somebody had to take my place. If the movie were made 20 years back, I would’ve surely played myself!” he replied in his inimitable style.

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“I had tears in my eyes when I saw the trailer for the first time,” recounts Kapil Dev

When the 83 trailer was played at the event, the former Indian captain’s eyes welled up with tears. Sharing his feelings with the media fraternity, Kapil said:

“I was totally numb when I first saw the trailer. Every time I see it, I get emotional. The person sitting to my left today [Kabir Khan] has wonderfully captured our journey on screen. Even today, when I saw the trailer, I was transported back in time.”

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Kolkata’s lesser-known connection with India’s victorious 1983 World Cup campaign

While most stories and backstories related to India’s maiden World Cup triumph are all too familiar, one remains relatively lesser-known. Kolkata did have a very important connection to that historic campaign even though "Kapil’s Devils" didn’t feature any player from the city.

The connection was with a freelance photographer from Kolkata named Srenik Sett, who was the only Indian photo journalist to cover the marquee event. Most of the pictures that we see of Kapil Dev lifting the Prudential Cup at Lord’s on 25th June 1983 were clicked by Sett.

Kabir Khan shed light on this interesting fact when he revealed:

“We’re using Mr Sett’s photographs in 83. He has contributed heavily to my research. We also have his character in the film.”

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“Ranveer’s dedication is incredible” – Kapil Dev in awe of the Bollywood star

When Ranveer Singh unveiled his first look as Kapil Dev a couple of years back, the entire nation went crazy over the uncanny resemblance between the 'reel' and the 'real'. The duo also spent some time together at a boot camp in Dharamshala in early 2019, before the cast and crew flew to England to shoot.

It remains to be seen how well Ranveer has executed the cricket part of his character. It must have been a massive challenge for him to step into the legend’s shoes, for the biomechanics of fast bowling have changed drastically over the years.

How did the actor brace himself for this role, and what was Kapil’s advice to him? Addressing this question from Sportskeeda, Kapil said:

“It was amazing to see Ranveer’s energy. It’s easy to say that an actor can do anything, but you need sheer power and athleticism to pull off a role like this. He showed tremendous determination and willpower. Athleticism and acting are not the same thing. For an actor, being an athlete is a very difficult job, but Ranveer has done it wonderfully.”

Fans are also eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of Kapil Dev's heroic 175* on the big screen. The tournament-defining knock, which came against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells, wasn’t televised due to a broadcasters strike. Explaining his decision to cast Ranveer Singh in the lead, Kabir Khan said:

“Ranveer was always my first choice [to play Kapil Dev]. We were not training him to play like Kapil Dev. If he did, he would’ve replaced both Rohit [Sharma] and Virat [Kohli]. He just imitated Kapil Dev’s bowling style, which was a tough ask. It was more like getting a complicated dance move correct. He took great pains to get Kapil sir’s body language correct and upgrade his cricket skills. All credit goes to him.”