83: Ranveer Singh on how it took him ‘months’ to perfect Kapil Dev’s technique

On the heels of 83 hitting theatres recently, Ranveer Singh has been getting appreciation from all corners for his performance as the legendary Indian skipper Kapil Dev. But playing the role of the real life icon was not without its challenges, as the actor himself admitted recently.

In conversation with IANS, Ranveer revealed that the hardest part for him was to get the bowling technique of the former Indian cricket team captain right. The actor talked about how he had played cricket in his school days and was skilled as both a batsman and fielder. So those parts of Kapil’s techniques were much easier for him to grasp and perform on screen.

Being a seasoned actor, Ranveer said that he also did not have any difficulties in getting Kapil’s mannerisms and easily slipped into character. But his real issues arose when the actor had to learn the bowling technique of Kapil, something which the former said took him ‘months’ to perfect.

From the wrist position to the way Kapil rubbed the ball beforehand, Ranveer recounted how he had tried to get the iconic movements just right. The actor also mentioned the struggle with perfecting the climactic bowling scene, the one wherein Kapil had dismissed West Indies’ Sir Vivian Richards to score the Indian Team its First World Cup. Getting that done just right took almost six months, revealed Ranveer. But despite the challenges, Ranveer said that it was an enjoyable experience working on the film.

In addition to Ranveer, the Kabir Khan directorial also features Deepika Padukone, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Jiiva, Saqib Saleem,Harrdy Sandhu, Ammy Virk,Pankaj Tripathi and Boman Irani among others. The movie is co-produced by Ranveer's wife Deepika along with Kabir.

83 is now showing in theatres. The film is likely to be released on Netflix as well as Disney+Hotstar soon.