KAPIL’S TAKE ON RANVEER
The cricket legend believes Bollywood actors these days are unbelievably good
Indians will never forget the moment when our cricket team lifted 1983 World Cup trophy at Lord’s, England, beating West Indies. It was India’s first ever cricket World Cup win, an incredibly proud day for team captain Kapil Dev. Through Bollywood filmmaker Kabir Khan’s sports drama, with Ranveer Singh cast as Kapil, viewers can relive that moment.
Kapil himself is hopeful that Ranveer can pull it off. “I think, these days actors in our film industry are so good [that] they’re unbelievable. When I saw Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) I couldn’t believe the way Farhan [Akhtar] looked in the film. He worked so hard on himself, so as to play the part well,” he says, and quips, “I felt that Farhan looked even better than Milkha [Singh].”
The cricketer, who has a world record of 434 Test wickets and is a legendary all- rounder, prefers to put his faith in Ranveer’s abilities. He says, “It would be very unfair for us to make a statement at this stage [on whether Ranveer fits the part]. Let’s focus on the positive side.”
Kabir Khan himself had said about the casting that “honestly I could see no one else [except Ranveer] for the role, ever since I started finalising the script”.
Asked if he’d help the filmmakers with his valuable inputs, Kapil answers in the affirmative. “If they ask for my help, then I’m more than happy to do that,” he smiles.
At a time when Bollywood is churning out films on sports personalities — Mary Kom, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Saina Nehwal, Mohammad Azharuddin, PV Sindhu — and that, too, on sports stars who’re still playing, shouldn’t a film on Kapil Dev have been made much earlier? “Not really. I think it’s too early [to make a film on me],” he adds with his signature smile.