If Cricket is a religion in India, Sachin Tendulkar is the god. This movie is a full blown look into the life of possibly the greatest cricketer of all time. The film opens with the ‘SACHIN…..SACHIN” chant which sets the mood for the rest of the documentary and it charges you up from the very beginning. Sachin: A Billion Dreams, unlike the other biopics on Indian cricketers we’ve had like Dhoni or Azhar, is not relying on a hindi film actor. The documentary narrative of the film has Sachin himself narrating incidents on screen and who better to tell the story of his extraordinary and illustrious life than Sachin Tendulkar himself.
The Master Blaster appears on screen and walks us through his childhood about how his brother Ajit Tendulkar recognised his talent and took him to his coach Ramakant Achrekar. He talks about the immense support he received from his family. And incidents like, his father pressing his tired feet at the end of a long day and how a 15 year old young boy travelled to Pakistan for his first match, are sure to make you a tad emotional.
The film brilliantly compiles Sachin’s long list of triumphs as well as disappointments all through his 24 year cricketing career. Some of the disappointments that are covered in the film are-
– his debut test match against Pakistan in which he managed to score just 15 runs.
– his career graph once the captaincy of the Indian Cricket team was given to him and the failures that followed.
– the early 2000’s match fixing scandal
-the stone pelting that happens outside the houses of cricketers after high profile tournament losses. The movie reminds us to treat cricket for what it is.. Just a sport.
-the fitness issues he grappled with which gave rise to speculations that he should hang his boots.
The film showcases how all the negativity failed to make Sachin bitter instead he was all the more determined to make a comeback. And that he did and how! Majority of his biggest achievements happened after the so called ‘comeback’. Be it the 100 international centuries or the World Cup win.
Speaking of the world cup, one of the highlights of the film is reliving the world cup winning moment, with its clippings being shown on the big screen. It’s magical and sure to bring the goosebumps back.
The movie does not miss to touch upon Sachin’s personal journey with his family. We are shown private footage of his wedding, the birth of his children and also some adorable home videos featuring his kids Sara and Arjun. Sachin also talks in depth about the impact his father’s death had on him.
Sachin: A Billion Dreams manages to keep you engaged from start to finish. Here is the living legend, just being himself, telling us his inspiring story and has the audience eating out of the palm of his hand.
So it doesn’t matter if you’re a cricket fan or not, do yourself a favour and watch the film for your dose of inspiration.
