Movie: Sachin: A Billion Dreams
Direction: James Erskine
Cast: Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Mayuresh Pem
Music: A R Rahman
Cinematographer: Chris Openshaw
Editor: Avdhesh Mohla
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Drama, Sport
Rating: ∗∗∗∗
What is it about: It’s a biographical documentary film, which ponders the life events of Sachin Tendulkar. The film is directed by James Erskine and produced by Ravi Bhagchandka.
Why it’s disappointing: This section definitely stays put. Except for the Hindi subtitles, which could have been better with English subtitles as it had quite a few Marathi dialogues, which may go unnoticed ‘cause not everyone can read Hindi.
What to watch out for: Cricket is considered as one of the religion in our country, and when it’s so close to heart, a wonder from that field will definitely be considered as a God of Cricket. Sachin Tendulkar is one such idol, which millions worship for his tremendous skill set in the game. Documentaries most of the time, trump the feature biopics for one main reason, ‘cause it gets personal and relate to the actual characters than enacted in a cinematic format. And that becomes interactive and runs deep with the audience.
In this Docu-Film, we see Sachin himself narrating the entire time, which made it all the more better making a delectable experience. It was beautifully derived in 138 minutes, which touched base with the vital and pivotal points from the legend’s life.
I being not a fan of cricket could relate so much to the game, from the emotions which were explicitly displayed in the film. A small portion was dramatized for the sake of it. But the majority of it were actual events with real life characters sharing their views and journey in Sachin’s life.
Every event was perfectly sequenced with great diligence, which makes it a wonderful experience for the cricket fans. You travel along the time line with no hindrance, and find yourself immersed in to the feature. And when the journey comes to its destination, is when you get emotional, the entire cinema hall goes silent in unison.
Avdhesh Mohla did a fantastic job in cutting this documentary. And this was packaged with a score enveloped by AR Rahman, which was soulful and had supported the emotions perfectly pertaining to the events.
Verdict: James Erskine, should be lauded for putting together a docu-feature which excels in every department with great diligence. He had sequenced them perfectly with emotions which drove the audience mad with joy and at the same shed tears at the end. Definitely worth a watch, don’t miss the spectacle on big screen to experience the life of the legend.
