Sachin: A Billion Dreams - Movie Review
"He was never just a legend in India. He was and will always be an emotion to the people". With these words, Harsha Bhogle describes the legend Sachin Tendulkar in the most awaited docudrama of the year - Sachin: A Billion Dreams. A 138-minute documentary is a nostalgia train for all the fans and rather devotees of inarguably the greatest batsman the game has ever seen. Watching the film on the first day was an enriching experience as it once again proved the country's love for its darling son.
The people cheered for every shot that was shown; be it his onslaught of great Pakistani leg-spinner, Abdul Qadir to his later uppercut against Shoaib Akhtar in the 2003 World Cup. They sobbed when his dismissals were shown and as expected, each ardent cricket and Sachin fan got emotional on hearing his retirement speech which he gave at the Wankhede stadium after his last test match.
The thing that makes this docudrama an instant connect with everyone is that it is not a biopic which sings Tendulkar's praises throughout the duration but it is a story of his life narrated by none other than the man himself. He talks about the good things which the game gave him but also reveals the few bad things like his displeasure with the board on giving him the captaincy for the second time in 2001 when he was not ready to take on the mantle.
Director James Erskine has directed many a sports documentaries in his career. His best work includes movies about England's run to the semifinals in the football world cup in 1990 titled, 'A night in Turin' and ‘Pantani: The Accidental Death Of a Cyclist’ about Tour De France winner Marco Pantani which made him an Emmy Award nominee.
But without a doubt, this must have been Erskine's toughest job till date as he had to encapsulate the feeling of a nation about a person in just over two hours for whom the whole nation used to stop.
More than reliving all the great moments that we, supporters went through, this film was a personal experience of the man who endured a lot which is also reflected in the movie. It shows how India changed over the course of the decades but one thing that remained still - India's hopes on one player. Sachin reveals the stuff that is inside the famous kitbag of his and also his camaraderie with his friends and colleagues.
There are many unheard stories too which are told in the documentary like Sachin inviting Shane Warne for dinner to his house and serving at midnight just before a crucial test match.
The tussle for power between Sachin and Mohammad Azharuddin of the late 90s can also be seen in a video where Azhar looks towards the master blaster in disdain as Sachin signs an autograph for a fan. Though more insight on Sachin's take on the match-fixing scandal would have made this more interesting, the film decided to rather move on from the subject in a hurry.
There are many innocent moments between Sachin and his kids which give us a look into the personal life of the Messiah of cricket.
All in all, this movie is a rollercoaster of emotions for the cricket fans which makes us relive all our precious cricketing moments since childhood with the help of the man who made them extra special - Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. His father's one line in the movie, "He became a family member of each household in the country" can be said as the apt interpretation of why this country still loves the enigma that is Sachin Tendulkar!