If you are a diehard fan of MS Dhoni and cricket (in that order), you are bound to love this film, which reveres its protagonist. M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story is a 2016 Indian biographical sports film written and directed by Neeraj Pandey. It is based on the life of Indian cricketer and the current ODI and T20I captain of the Indian national cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The film stars Sushant Singh Rajput as Dhoni, along with Disha Patani, Kiara Advani, and Anupam Kher. The film chronicles the life of Dhoni from a young age and the series of life events that finally culminates to his stardom in the realm of cricket.
The movie follows the journey of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a budding cricketer from Ranchi becoming the most successful captain of Indian cricket team. The movie begins its screenplay with the ICC Cricket World Cup Final (India vs Sri Lanka) in the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai where Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Sushant Singh Rajput) is watching the match live on screen. He decides to take the stand, and tells the authorities that he would go for batting if the wicket falls down. Dhoni takes up his bat and leads down the stairs amidst the roar of the crowd. The movie then sets to a flashback in Ranchi, Bihar, India set on 7 July 1981, the day on which Dhoni was born.
The biopic on India’s celebrated skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (played by Sushant Singh Rajput) is the cricketer’s ode to his well-wishers, friends and family, who stood by him at all times - in success and failure. Their immense contribution in fulfilling his dream, his faith in himself and ability to battle professional and personal setbacks, forms the story. Dhoni’s alleged rivalry with Yuvraj Singh and a few senior players also finds a mention in the film. This biopic movie touches on various aspects but not whole heartedly. It shows how Dhoni was not given an equal run in one of the selection camps held in New Delhi (being a small town bloke or maybe due to his long hairs) but does not dwell much upon it. Where the movie emerges a winner is in the way it showcases Dhoni’s haphazard days, working as a ticket collector in Kharagpur. How he tries to cope up with a job he is not inclined enough to carry on and still hopes to achieve somewhere in cricket is shown well. You feel sad for the guy who is seen giving it a shot only to make his father happy. This biopic should not be missed to get acquainted to a person who keeps things confined to himself, soaks in pressure and wins us matches from time to time.