Kapil Dev: Ranveer Singh and I are very different people

Mumbai (IANS) – In June 1983, when captain Kapil Dev took the Indian cricket team to the World Cup in England, no one had any expectation from the team to eventually win the cup. Everything changed on June 25 when Kapil along and his teammates raised the trophy for the first time at Lord’s.

The captain who made cricketing history for India turns 61 on Monday. Now that Ranveer Singh plays Kapil Dev in Kabir Khan’s upcoming “83”, he is curious to know how their effort, based on the journey of that tournament, ends up on the big screen.

“You naturally feel proud of the fact when people have no expectation of the result but you’ve used the opportunity to deliver the best. For us, the winning of World Cup in 1983 was just that. We played out of sheer passion, and I think in any journey the difficult part comes when expectation arises,” Kapil told IANS.

He added: “All of us have shared our side of the story and the kind of memory we have. Now it is up to Kabir (Khan) how he weaves the story around it. I am sure the way I look at the story of the 1983 World Cup would be different from my other teammates. Now, I am curious to see how Kabir puts our story together. He is an expert in storytelling.”

The film is slated to release on April 10. While Ranveer Singh plays Kapil, the actor’s wife Deepika Padukone appears as Kapil’s wife Romi, and Tahir Raj Bhasin plays Sunil Gavaskar. Saqib Saleem and Harrdy Sandhu are also part of the cast.

“Although I am curious to watch the film, I have no expectation of how the film will be appreciated or the kind of feedback it will get,” Kapil mentioned.

On Ranveer’s look as the on-screen Kapil, the legendary cricketer said: “I was surprised! At one glimpse, from a distance, there is an uncanny similarity. Of course in close-up, one can understand that it is Ranveer Singh and not me! But I have to say the makeup artiste has done a great job. I appreciate that. I sat with Ranveer and we had long chat. We are very different people.”

Being one of the greatest all-rounders in cricketing history, Kapil tried pursuing golf after retirement from cricket in 1994. “I played for my country as a cricketer, so I am a cricketer first. But yes, I enjoy golf equally,” he said.

Born in Chandigarh, Kapil had a great career hauling 434 wickets and scoring 5,248 runs in Test matches among other records.

So, what are his birthday plans? “I am one of those people who lives every day as a special day. I am not a big plan-birthday-party person. Romi and I are in Rajasthan. We will spend time together – that is it. My birthdays are celebrated differently every year. Three years ago, I went to Honolulu with my family on my birthday and we had a great time. Sometimes, friends I have not met for long just give me a surprise visit. Sometimes it’s dinner with friends and family,” Kapil shared.

(Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at arundhuti.b@ians.in)

–IANS
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