Watching the untold story unfold in a theater is an experience that takes you back in time. Back to where “tum” is “hum”. Back to a place we call home.
For every Bihar/Jharkhand native, this movie is more than just the story about MS Dhoni. It is more than being about Cricket. It is about the journey that many have lived and only a few like the man himself have succeeded in. It is about the friends who’ll stick with you in thick and thin. Your family who wishes the best for you. Where your success is everyone’s success too.
If you happen to be a Dhoni fan or have grown up in the old Bihar or the younger Jharkhand, you’ll have a ride full of goosebumps. Instead of just being a movie, this is more of a melodramatic Documentary.
The research done to make places, people and scenarios appear as real-like is tremendous and kudos to the team for choosing the right brushes to paint.
Sushant Singh Rajpoot is believably a good reel version of the Captain Cool and this is perhaps one of his biggest role till date. There’s nowhere you’ll feel he has not given his 100 percent in essaying the role.
Anupam Kher’s portrayal as the father strikes chord with the familiar sense of concern visible across every father’s face and the joy of success when their kids succeed.
In a particular scene when MS calls up his father and asks, “Aap khush to hai na ?”, he replies, “Khud ko galat saabit hote dekh, kaafi khush hoon”. It makes you search for your own dad in him.
Another great insight the movie gives is on how Dhoni handles the setbacks from his life and how he doesn’t allow anyone else to know what goes behind the perceived “coolness” associated with him. How he lets himself away from the crowd to process emotions and tries to hold it all in, and how that has shaped him, is baffling.
Neeraj Pandey’s MS Dhoni biopic is unlike any of his movies and yes it does have flaws. The biggest is in its editing. The effort to fit in everything ends up making the movie long. As a fan, you’d feel like more could have been added to the story, however as a regular movie-goer you’d feel that a lot could have been edited out. The purpose of few of the scenes are to highlight, Dhoni doesn’t drink or that he meets his old-colleagues even after becoming a “big sensation”. The execution here just doesn’t seem right.
Another thing that irked me was the choice of superimposing Sushant’s picture on a young Dhoni which could have easily been played by any other youngster. A case in point is the much appreciated Netflix drama- Narcos, where the real-life Pablo Escabar features in the original footage to keep the story appear real. They could have even left the real-life footage of matches untouched and it would have brought even more cheers than it actually did.
Songs are good but the addition of this many could have been avoided. The leading ladies of the film, Priyanka played by Disha Patani and Sakshi played by Kiara Advani in the movie have done their part well. Although they do appear to essay almost the same character. But maybe that’s how they both were in real life as well.
However, even with all this, it does click the boxes of being an entertaining movie. The movie doesn’t bore you at any point in time. Neither the pace nor the content makes you take your eyes off. Even the authenticity of the accent and the life in general always keeps you hooked.
MS Dhoni: the untold Story is entertaining even with editing issues, gets you high and gives access to what goes in the mind of one of the most successful Indian Captain. Watch it for the entertainment value it brings with it. It is a good attempt to bring out the untold story of the Cricketer’s life but could have been perfect.
I’m going with a 3/5 for Ms Dhoni: The Untold Story. Go ahead and watch it. It’s Entertaining but nowhere close to being perfect.
