I hope the focus is not just on me in ”83′, says Kapil Dev

Team Udayavani, Jan 5, 2020, 5:03 PM IST

Mumbai: Former India World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev hopes that the focus is not just on him, but on the entire squad in the upcoming film “’83” which narrates the story of the historic 1983 World Cup triumph.

In “’83”, directed by Kabir Khan, features Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev, who led the team to India’s first-ever World Cup win against the mighty West Indies.

Point him out that the focus will be on him in the film, the legendary all-rounder, said, “I hope not.”

“I am the captain, I am a team man. I think everybody should get their performance to look into. I don’t look at my performance, it is the team’s performance.

“That’s how the game of cricket is. It is not about one person but everybody. Everybody gave 100 percent and that’s how the team won the World Cup,” Dev told PTI in an interview.

The movie, also starring Tahir Raj Bhasin, Pankaj Tripathi, Saqib Saleem, Hardy Sandhu, among others, is seen as one of the most anticipated films of 2020.

Dev said his job was to share as much information as possible with the makers. “We know what we did. It is difficult to judge what they are going to put in and make. So you sit and give your side of the story and let them do it, they are smart people, they had done enough research,” he said.

The veteran cricketer said he was initially concerned about how the makers will show the historical win on the celluloid.

“When I first heard the story, I was confused, I didn’t know how it will happen. There is so much to talk about it. You are concerned about how it will come out. We are a little bit concerned and worried about how the movie will come out but I do hope everything will be ok,” he added.

Dev also coached Ranveer for the film and the entire cast was trained by former India players Balwinder Sandhu and Yashpal Sharma, who were part of the World Cup-winning team.

Asked how important it is to get the formal training in cricket right, Dev said, “I think it was not easy. You are trying to create something which happened 30 to 40 years back with so many characters. It is not just one Kapil Dev. There is a team of 14 players and to bring them all together, it is quite a tough job.”

“83”, produced by Madhu Mantena, Vishnu Induri, and Kabir, and presented by Reliance Entertainment, will release on April 10.

In reality, when asked as a captain how difficult was it than to lead a team that was considered as underdogs, Dev said, “Nothing is difficult when you are enjoying something. When you are passionate about something it is not difficult. I have never taken it as a difficult thing. Never at all. It was enjoyable and fantastic.