Bollywood’s ‘83’ retells story of India’s stunning 1983 World Cup victory – an event that changed the face of cricket worldwide
- Actor Ranjeev Singh plays the role of captain Kapil Dev, whose team were heavy underdogs against the mighty West Indies in the final
- The victory helped shake Indians out of their inferiority complex and became the first building block in their rise as a cricket world power
Bollywood’s retelling of the 1983 World Cup hit cinemas on Friday, recalling a stunning underdog victory that was instrumental in turning India into the cricket-crazy nation it is today.
Captained by Kapil Dev, seen now as one of cricket’s best-ever players, India began the tournament in England as rank outsiders but ended up triumphing over the all-conquering West Indies in the final at a raucous Lord’s.
Ahead of the release of 83 on Friday, The Indian Express daily said: “[The victory] was the turning point of how we saw ourselves as a cricketing nation, and … that incredible win fed into the veins of a country that till then had seen itself as also-rans on and off the cricket field.
“The next morning, banner headlines screamed ‘The Cup Is Ours’, and nothing was ever the same. It was a blood rush to beat all blood rushes,” the paper said.
The first sign that India meant business was in the group stage of the tournament when Dev made 175 not out – with India having been on the ropes at 17 for 5 – against Zimbabwe.
