The Untold Inspirational Story of M.S. Dhoni

Rating: 8/10 (1 October 2016)

2016 can easily be considered as the year of biopics and real- life stories. Some good ones being NEERJA, SARBJIT and AIRLIFT. And so the tradition continues with NEERAJ PANDEY's M. S. DHONI: THE UNTOLD STORY. As the title suggests, it is the untold story of the Indian Cricketer and Present Captain "Mahendra Singh Dhoni" and how he played a key role as the Captain and a Player to finally lift the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 against Sri Lanka after a long hiatus of 28 years. The running time of the film is 3 hours and 10 minutes which is quite long compared to any of the film released in recent years but even then the drama doesn't falter much and justifies it's length. The credit for this goes to the crisp editing and an equally supportive screen writing by NEERAJ PANDEY and NANDU KAMTE.
The first half of the film is that part of Dhoni's life which we don't actually know. His childhood, his family, friends and the people around him. And the second half is mainly his personal and love life and his International career as the Indian Captain. Coming to the first half, it is comparatively much better than the second half the sole reason of which being; it is the lesser known part of his life. His struggle has been shown to us in a way that is relatable to the people of all age groups. The biggest plus point of first half are the characters supporting MS Dhoni to reach his goal. The cricketing scenes in the film have been handled beautifully and provide the necessary excitement to the audience. Overall, the first half is very good and manages to sustain the interest of the audience.
Then comes the second half, although it is entertaining with the two leading ladies adding up to the romantic life of the Cricketer but somewhat the biography becomes a bit of a hagiography. It portrays MS Dhoni as if he can do anything and that winning the world cup was entirely his effort and only if a bit more of team work and his leadership skills were focused upon; it would have taken the movie to an all new level. But the climax is love ðŸ’œ, it will give you the goosebumps as an Indian and would take you back to that magical and joyous moment of winning the World Cup.
SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT shines as Dhoni and undoubtedly gives his career best performance. He gives a subtle and balanced performance quite similar to Dhoni in real life. ANUPAM KHER as his father is amazing. DISHA PATANI as Priyanka Jha and KIARA ADVANI as Sakshi Rawat (as the love interests of Dhoni) look beautiful and play their part sincerely. Two of the supporting actors stand out as far as their performance is concerned namely------ RAJESH SHARMA and KUMUD MISHRA. Even in their small roles they make big impact.
Overall, M. S. DHONI: THE UNTOLD STORY is a must watch film and entertains despite a few drawbacks in the second half. I would give this an 8/10.