Of Kapil Dev, Kabir Khan and their date with Melbourne

By Indira Laisram
0
1094
Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev and Bollywood director Kabir Khan at the MCG on 12 August

Legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev brings an earthy charm even to the role of a guest. “I am not an opening batsman,” he says, when invited to be the first to speak at the press conference marking the start to the nine-day Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). As it turns out, his words prompt lots of claps and cheer.

Dev played many cricket matches in Australia as a young man, the memories of which he cherishes. But this time, as part of the Indian film industry contingent and as an integral part of the film 83, Dev is seen enjoying being in the spotlight again and talking about this biopic of the India cricket team’s unlikely 1983 World Cup triumph.

The addictive fans, the crowd, and the cultural incubator that is Melbourne, means Dev has earned newer respect and influence, that perhaps few can claim. At the MCG at an IFFM event, a young boy erupts with joy and nervousness and asks him about his emotions after winning the 1983 World Cup.

“First tell me ‘I love you Kapil uncle’”, he jests. But on a serious note, he believes “there is no word in the dictionary to compare that feeling”.

For director Kabir Khan, who anchors 83, sometimes stories find the filmmakers. He saw the events of 1983 as a story staring in the face for the past three and a half decades. And when he read the 40-page script on a flight, he felt a lump in his throat. “I was like I know this story; I was in school and saw men crying on the streets at night. I saw an incredible human story,” he says. “It was incredible to read the story of this 24-year-old young man who becomes captain, who the team or anyone didn’t think would become one.”

Prior to Khan coming on board, Dev says for three years a friend from Hyderabad persisted in pitching the story to which he said, “It’s too young for us to talk about ourselves.”

Kapil Dev at the IFFM press conference

But over the course of time, there was finally an 83 WhatsApp group ‘Champions Forever’. And before he realised, Dev found popular actor Ranveer Singh (who plays him in the movie) at his doorstep.

Singh would stay with Dev for ten days. “The first thing I told Ranveer was that we eat dinner by 8 pm,” says Dev. It was probably a direction Singh had not anticipated “but he was a great guest and didn’t change our regime. He would go to the gym, be on 16 hours fast and then eat like a pig,” reveals Dev.

Singh spent his time observing Dev. “He put two-three cameras in front of me and told me ‘you keep on talking and on day three, you won’t even notice the camera’. I said OK,” says Dev.

On his part, Khan believed Singh had the rigour and the discipline to play the part of Dev.

A professional director, Khan spent two years on research. “It was a long process. The men in 83 were all living legends who became icons, but in India we don’t archive very well. So, I had to spend a lot of time with the team and given their generosity of time, it was a privilege of access,” he says.

At the same time, he was hunting down people who had been at the Lord’s stadium in England where the match took place, and where clashes with skinheads at Old Trafford also occurred. “For two months I was traveling to London to find witnesses who had been to these games, there is no footage of that world record. The primary research was speaking to people and also discovering.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Indian Sun (@theindiansun)

After all, it was the memorable summer of 1983 Khan was revisiting when India beat West Indies, a team that had never been beaten in World Cup history.

Khan says 83 is a film that has been blessed by the Gods of cricket. He recalls recreating the scene at Lord’s when Kapil Dev picked up the World Cup on 25 June 1983, when suddenly someone comes and sits next to him. It was none other than Clive Llyod, one of the greatest West Indian cricketers. Khan asks him, “Do you want to see it up close?” Lloyd’s response was, “You want me to see the Cup being taken away the second time?”  In cricket, you grieve in different ways.

And that also opens up the sentiment of why the journey of filmmaking is more important than what happens at the box office, reflects Khan. “The journey has been the most glorious of my filmmaking career.”

Just to recap that historic year, India, who had only won a single World Cup match before the tournament, were “deeply unfancied outsiders”.

“The media was still talking about a West Indies-England final. I don’t blame them because they believed England was good enough to beat the West Indies,” recalls Dev.

“Indian cricketers are (undeniable) rockstars today, but I think we were rockstars too,” he says amid applause. “The West Indies were a fearless team, and we were so scared, the entire world thought they were a force to reckon with. So, we had a unit that started believing yes, we can beat any team. When you start believing, anything can happen. I can perhaps say they were better than us but our commitment was better than theirs during that period.”

IFFM press conference on 12 August

The film also vibrates with familiar tension gripping the whole country including army soldiers glued to the radio. Dev says, “Of course, the country is watching but I didn’t know what was happening back home. If your mind diverts, you can’t play, you have to give your best performance at that very moment. Yes, I remember a few things, but I said ‘boys this can change our lives’.”

Today, the lives of all the 14 guys in 83 have changed, says Dev. He thanks Khan for the movie. “It is easy to talk about it but making a movie is not easy.”

After the movie came out last December, Dev received a letter from Sir Richard John Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket. He wrote, “Kapil, I didn’t know what you went through at the time.”

For Dev, when your colleague starts appreciating that’s “when I say ‘well done’”.

On a lighter note, Dev says of Singh, “Ranveer is a busy man, every time he kisses me, I say relax…I like his character, he knows what he is doing.” Of his recent nude shot that made headlines, Dev quips, “He needs to be lean, especially the legs.”

That’s Kapil Dev for you, distinctly his own!

(The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne is on till 30 August. For details click here


Connect with Indira Laisram on Twitter

Follow The Indian Sun on Twitter | InstagramFacebook

 

Donate To The Indian Sun

Dear Reader,

The Indian Sun is an independent organisation committed to community journalism. We have, through the years, been able to reach a wide audience especially with the growth of social media, where we also have a strong presence. With platforms such as YouTube videos, we have been able to engage in different forms of storytelling. However, the past few years, like many media organisations around the world, it has not been an easy path. We have a greater challenge. We believe community journalism is very important for a multicultural country like Australia. We’re not able to do everything, but we aim for some of the most interesting stories and journalism of quality. We call upon readers like you to support us and make any contribution. Do make a DONATION NOW so we can continue with the volume and quality journalism that we are able to practice.

Thank you for your support.

Best wishes,
Team The Indian Sun

Comments