M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story

A biographical film about the Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The narrative starts in childhood. He is the son of a clerk's family in Ranchi; he is a football goalkeeper until a coach pulls him into the cricket team, and his place changes. The first part is about preparation: matches on village grounds, limited means, and what it is to be outside the big cities. In the second part Dhoni works as a ticket inspector on the railways. The chance of getting into the national trials moves a little further away each year, and his family is against his leaving a safe job. The third part is the national team years. This section combines real match footage with staged scenes; for some matches the production uses the archive record and places the actor inside it. The narrative enters his private life too and moves through a loss; what happens there will not be written here. What the film is interested in is not triumph but waiting: most of the story takes place while nothing has happened yet. Sushant Singh Rajput plays Dhoni. The actor trained at cricket for a long time and imitated his batting style. Anupam Kher and Disha Patani are in the cast. Neeraj Pandey directed. It runs close to three hours. Who it is for: anyone who likes sports biographies and the emotional storytelling of Indian cinema. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a critical portrait; the film was made with the player's approval and does not go near hard questions.