Movie: MS Dhoni The Untold Story
Direction: Neeraj Pandey
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Anupam Kher, Bhumika Chawla, Kiara Advani, Disha Patani
Music: Sanjoy Chowdhury
Cinematographer: Santosh Thundiyil
Editor: Shree Narayan Singh
Genre: Biography, Sport
Rating: ∗∗∗½
What is it about: This film is a biographical drama based on the life of Indian Cricketer the current ODI & T20I captain of Indian Cricket Team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. This biopic is directed by Neeraj Pandey starring Sushant Singh Rajput.
Why it’s disappointing: I really don’t have anything negative to comment, but yeah the VFX of placing Sushant in Dhoni’s place could have been better, other than nothing.
What to watch out for: Now that’s how a biopic is directed. Neeraj Pandey known for unusual touch to his movies, gives a fine treatment to a story of a cricketer whose career is still on. The film has a cinematic and realistic touch which makes it a blend hard to resist. He knew the personality he’s handling is an icon, which puts him in spotlight with extreme scrutiny expected. And when you’re in a tight spot like this, the pressure is quite strong in meeting the expectations.
Neeraj Pandey steers clear of those hurdles with a screenplay which keeps you invested in spite of it being a drama which runs on a relaxed 185 minutes. Right from the start till the end. Neeraj made sure to entertain the audiences. One may say, few things were omitted and if added would have added the layers, yes strongly agreed. But Neeraj chose to jump those hoops and played it mellow and focused on the emotional aspect, making the audience relate to “Mahi” who grew up to “Mahendra Singh Dhoni” and reached heights making his signature “M.S.Dhoni”. The travel was seamless with no glitches.
Neeraj Pandey did a great job on detailing and kept the timeline perfect right from phones to advertisements correlated during the period. And when it came to emotions, is when Neeraj hits a sixer. Exceptional depth which makes you drop one or two tears regardless you’re a fan of the cricket or not. And you jump with joy without your knowledge in those cricketing scenes.
Now let’s get to the man who literally lived the character of “Mahendra Singh Dhoni”, Sushant Singh Rajput. Dhoni had a great travel in his career. And so did Sushant who started from a TV series, reality shows and finally landed on movies. All his roles have a contrast and he’s done great justice to each one of them and he trumps all of it with this biopic. The level of dedication as a performer was clearly reflecting on the screen. Sushant’s body language was exceptional, his lingo was perfect and a performance which makes commendable an understatement. Sushant Singh Rajput will be an actor who will remain for a long time in the industry, in a nut shell he could be the Next SRK of Bollywood. He has the potential and a grandeur which is required.
Anupam Kher as Pan Singh, was a perfect fit than anyone can could. He brings out a great character of a parent who is feared of his child’s career graph, but does have the courage to let him pursue his dreams. An actor who is seasoned to a level, that no matter what you make him do, he does that with great diligence.
Rajesh Sharma as Dhoni’s Coach, amazing portrayal of a selfless human, which was commendably performed by him. The emotion captured by Neeraj when he feels happy seeing Dhoni’s success on TV was heart-warming.
Disha Patani as Priyanka was a delight, who touches your heart instantly at the brink of her smile. A simplistic character which was played hands down by a debutante.
Kiara Advani as Sakshi Dhoni, she was quirky and sweetishly cute. A character which is not much in contrast with Priyanka and one which remained in the life of the legend.
Then comes the supporting actors, who were a great ensemble just like the real life characters in Dhoni’s life. His travel wouldn’t have reached where he’s now, without their support and so is this film. The character Dhoni’s Mother was a warm one. Then it’s the friends surrounding his life and the sports shop owner trumps the friends list, when he says that the feeling of him winning when Dhoni does was a great one. Then there’s this Railway Officer, loved the scene when he advices Dhoni at the Railway platform. And finally the Coal Mine Officer, he did a commendable one.
The cinematography by Santosh Thundiyil was pretty intense and it travels close to the characters and captured the moments perfectly in a cinematic format. The editing by Shree Narayan Singh was brisk and doesn’t tire you for the entire run time. Amaal Mallik did a sweet job on churning out melodious tracks and my personal favourite is “Kaun Tujhe”. And the background score by Sanjoy Chowdhury was pulsating, which builds a great momentum required for those iconic and landmark scenes. And a Sound-Mix in Dolby Atmos was perfect, if you wonder why a drama needed a mix of this sort, you will realize when you experience it.
Verdict: Neeraj Pandey did a great job in deriving the iconic “DHONI” in simple terms which puts every audience relating to the struggle, dedication and perseverance. A meticulous blend of emotions which touches you at many levels. Stellar performances by Sushant and the entire cast, which were iced with a great technical team. The dialogues were quite a high point in this flick, which were penned perfectly. Experience it in a cinema hall which turns it in to a Stadium leaving you in its awe. Don’t miss this biopic, which finishes off in style just like its protagonist.
