Shekhar’s Musings
Last Sunday I talked a bit on my perspective of aging and of its impact – physical, mental and emotional. Now, if that was cause for some disquiet, let me write about a good, new film. You may or may not have seen it.
It’s a positive real-life tale with useful takeaways. The film, from 20th Century Fox Star Studios, is Kaun Pravin Tambe that released in April. You can watch it on Disney Plus Hotstar.
It’s a refreshingly different film about a man’s dream to become a star cricketer – his aspiration was to play Ranji if not Test cricket or ODI. Not that there have been no biographic films on cricketers earlier; we had one on Dhoni and others, and there will be several more.
The film has Rahul Dravid in a cameo appearance. So who is this very ordinary man as Dravid asks – not a Tendulkar, Ashwin Ravichandran or Gavaskar?
Kaun Pravin Tambe is about the struggles of cricketer Pravin Tambe played on screen by Shreyas Talpade, and supported ably by Anjali Patil as his wife. From an ordinary, middle-class background, Tambe, a hero of club cricket, struggles to meet odds, missing to make it to the top league. Circumstances force him to try his hand at odd jobs – from a gem picker and club cricket coach to a lowly waiter at a seedy Mumbai bar. He faces his detractors stoically, his passion for cricket remaining steadfast and intact.
Poignant as it is, the story is told in a simple, no-nonsense style. The film is not a tear-jerker by any stretch of the imagination; it makes you go with the flow, not once making you feel bored. It tells us about the vicissitudes in life, how not to run away from problems, and face things head on as Tambe and his wife, who stood by him through thick and thin, did, leading him to success, even if it came late after he crossed his forties. As they say, fortune favours the brave. And here, Tambe’s fortitude, courage and steadfastness, with some luck, including his tryst with the IPL, all went in his favour.
Ashish Vidyarthi as the protagonist’s coach was simply brilliant.
I suppose it is a simple tale of ordinary people with a message and lesson conveyed subtly. And that is, not to take anything for granted. Life is a struggle. But you can make it or break it. Only, you need to hang in there.
Also read: An attitude of gratitude is key to happiness!
June 26