Movie Review: M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story

Movie Review: ‘M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story’

Rating: 4/5

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Anupam Kher, Kiara Advani, Disha Patani, Rajesh Sharma

Movie Trailer M.S.Dhoni: The Untold Story

M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, deftly directed by Neeraj Pandey, boasts of a brilliant performance by Sushant Singh Rajput, and reliving some fine moments in Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s life.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni. today he is a big name that will go down in history for he is the second Indian captain to have achieved the feat of winning the World Cup for Indian Cricket team.  The film which is a biopic on his life, traces back his journey from being a Ranchi boy who is strong willed on getting a chance to hold a bat instead of wicket-keeping to becoming one of India’s most successful captains ever.  Coming from a middle-class family, Dhoni is forced to take up a job in railway and put his Cricketing dream on the sideline. After working as a ticket checker, how Dhoni decides to risk it all and give a full shot towards playing Cricket full time is how the first half establishes. Further on, the second half tackles his love life, his captaincy and his rise in International cricket.

The film starts off with Dhoni as a school going kind in Ranchi who prefers to be a goalkeeper than a wicket-keeper, however his coach wants him to handle the gloves and do the jumps, and doesn’t even allow him to touch the bat. His father Pan Singh (Anupam Kher) is a pump operator, who wants his son to join the government service, and not end up like him.  Moments such as Dhoni’s dad forcing him to concentrate on studying over sport, the school coach and his wife buying fish in the market are cleverly written scenes. The effortless representation of the town’s flavor and the family life is easy to connect for everyone.

Sushant Singh Rajput gives his career best performance. He is not only convincing as the player with his body language but also with his amazing batting skills. The actor has clearly put in immense efforts for this role and I’d say they will definitely be paid off as he is set to get noticed for it.  Anupam Kher does a great job as Pan Singh Dhoni, the father. He emotes brilliantly in the scenes where he is full of pride for his son.  Bhumika Chawla plays Dhoni’s sister. She does a fairly good job and quite true to her simplistic character.

Kumud Mishra’s character is the one that holds importance in giving Dhoni the big break. He is as usual a perfect fit for his role.  Kiara Advani and Disha Patani look pretty and do what’s exactly expected from them.  Supporting actors like Rajesh Sharma and  give this film the required impact.  A special mention to Herry Tangri, who portrayed Yuvraj Singh in the film. Loved his bits thanks to the exact body language.

Neeraj Pandey is better known for his thriller films Baby, Special 26 etc. With Dhoni, Pandey makes his point as a director, the fact that he can pull off any film. Pandey’s observation is surely brilliant and hence his lead actor gets the right under the skin of the character. There are ample of scenes in the film that make you glee, be it the amazing  camaraderie between Sushant and his friends or his uncomfortable shoots for brand endorsements, the situational comical nature in them is a winner.

Music of the film has been widely appreciated and Besabriyaan surely sounds lovely in the theaters. One of the major issue with the film is that it adds on to its run-time thanks to two love songs that could have been chopped out. We certainly wish the exotic honeymoon bit was left out of the film. First half is long but is forms the base for the story. The second half is not gripping until the climax that takes us back to the World cup win. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself cheering for all the footages of Indian tournaments, included for representation of the iconic moments in Dhoni’s life.

It’s not easy to make an impartial biopic in India, especially when the person on whom you are making a biopic on is alive and also a producer of the film. You just cannot show the dark shades in his life, and that’s precisely what goes wrong with the film. None of the controversies in Dhoni’s life are addressed, be it on or off-field. So if you get into the theatre expecting to learn about the dark secrets of the dressing room talks, the famous Dhoni-Gambhir or Dhoni-Yuvraj rivalry, or the IPL controversies, the film skips all that to delve into Dhoni’s romantic life. There is a scene where Dhoni teleconferences with the selectors to axe three seniors from the team because of their agility issues. Even without naming them, the selectors behave as if they know whom he is referring to. It’s like the makers didn’t have the courage to handle the really talked about portions of Dhoni’s career. If you are making the film to inspire people, as is the intention of the makers, then make your hero a little more human – people  will relate to him more. After all every hero has a dark side, ask Batman!

M.S.Dhoni -The Untold Story is certainly a must-watch if you’re a fan of Indian cricket. Get to know the man behind the composed, confident, match-finisher of Indian cricket team.  The film ends with 2011 World Cup final match, where Dhoni hits that brilliant six to seal the deal. If you loved that moment and the man who made that moment real, then MS Dhoni: The Untold Story should be your weekend watch.