Kaun Pravin Tambe? review: Shreyas Talpade stumps you with his knockout performance in this inspiring tale

3/5

Story:

Kaun Pravin Tambe? streaming on Disney+ Hotstar is a biographical sports film based on the inspiring life story of cricketer Pravin Tambe, essayed by Shreyas Talpade. The film chronicles the journey of Tambe’s dream to play a Ranji Trophy match, from the age of 12 to 41 years, when he finally makes his debut in an IPL match (and ultimately makes it to Ranji too), having no prior professional experience of playing first-class cricket. Tambe belongs to a typical lower-middle-class family in Mumbai. He is constantly faced with the pressure of financially supporting his family and at the same time persevering hard enough to realise his childhood dream. How he goes on to prove that age is just a number when it comes to chasing one’s dream, and that much like cricket, in life too, all one needs is one good over to turn things around, forms the crux of the film. 

Review:

Directed by Jayprad Desai, Kaun Pravin Tambe? begins with a short clip where Rahul Dravid introduces Pravin Tambe to those who’re uninitiated about the medium-pacer-tuned-leg-spinner bowler. The scene then shifts to an interesting sequence where you see someone dressing up as a woman with a voice-over by Parambrata Chatterjee, who plays a sports journalist, Rajat Sanyal, in the film. It is partially through his eyes (and voice) that we witness Tambe’s life-long journey of passion and love for cricket, struggles, perseverance and hard work. 

By now, we’ve seen enough sports dramas and biopics to be familiar with the key ingredients in the arc of the story. A classic rags-to-riches narrative of the protagonist who faces several hurdles (often from opponents), before ultimately reaching the zenith that they always aspired for. Throw in a mix of some family drama, a few rousing songs, some helpful and loyal friends, and sometimes, a piece of overbearing background music and voila! Your sports biopic film is ready.

We do find these familiar tropes in Kaun Pravin Tambe? too, but often in unexpected ways. The beauty of the film lies in its simplistic storytelling. Written by Kiran Yadnyopavit, the film often gives you moments that will bring a smile to your face, even in times of adversity. There’s a brilliant scene right after the twin wedding of both Pravin and his biggest support, his elder brother Prashant, where they are contesting who’s going to get the chance to spend the first night in the privacy of closed doors in their kitchen. The manner in which the scene plays out will definitely invite a chuckle from you, even as you stare into the harsh reality of the living arrangements of the Tambe family in a modified one-room-kitchen setup in a Mumbai chawl. 

Shreyas Talpade, who makes a comeback in the avatar of a bowler, 17 years after the release of his breakout performance as a deaf and mute bowler in Nagesh Kukunoor’s Iqbal, brings an understated yet effective earnestness to the portrayal of Tambe. It definitely helps that Talpade himself is from Maharashtra and is well versed in Marathi. He effortlessly slips into Tambe’s persona and delivers a knockout performance that will definitely leave you stumped. Your heart goes out to him when you see him struggling to make ends meet for his family and at the same time his commitment to his dream and unabashed love for the game of cricket. 

There are times when you do feel that more than his family, it is Tambe himself who stands in the way of realizing his full potential, despite the conviction and sound pieces of advice from his coach, essayed by a terrific Ashish Vidyarthi. But you tend to overlook all the minor hiccups as Talpade keeps you engaged with his performance and makes you root for him to succeed. In one of the scenes, his friend tells him that he’s either crazy or great and Talpade’s Tambe replies saying, “Agar successful ho gaya na, toh great, nahi to paagal hoon,” and chuckles, seemingly carelessly, which speaks volumes about his talent. 

Anjali Patil, whom you may remember from the 2017 film Newton, is quite good in her portrayal of Tambe’s wife Vaishali. Her angry outbursts with her husband’s obsession with playing a Ranji match and at the same time being there for him when he doesn’t make it to the final squad, her scenes with their kids make for some of the most natural and believable ones. That Patil is a fantastic actress is known. This film gives her a chance to portray the housemaker in an authentic way. However, this is where the makers could’ve given a bit more diligence to her character and probably also explored how she manages everything when Tambe isn’t around (which he isn’t for the most part of the day and night). 

The only character who sticks out like a sore thumb is that of the otherwise brilliant actor Parambrata Chatterjee, as a snooty and privileged sports journalist, Rajat Sanyal. Don’t get us wrong, Chatterjee is amazing in his 'portrayal' of the character. Our grouse is with the inclusion of the character in the overall narrative. It seems as if the makers were in a dire need to fit in an antagonist, for an apparent lack of one in Tambe’s story and deliberately pitted him as Tambe’s opponent who’d do everything he can to see him fail, just to keep himself from getting bored in life. The scenes involving Sanyal and his Editor in the publication’s office are quite tongue-in-cheek and you do get a sense of seeing what the writers did there, but they add little to the story. 

Unlike other sports dramas, you don’t get to hear a rousing background score in the climax of the film to MAKE you feel the payoff. It is left to the acting prowess of Talpade (and some clever CGI to recreate the Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders IPL match, with him) to do the job. Talpade delivers and how! While the song Khamakha in the film is no Aashayein from Iqbal, it still does the job of making you feel what Tambe is going through and how hope is the only thing that he can hold on to, when nothing seems to be going his way. 

Kaun Pravin Tambe? does falter in its screenplay at several junctures. You feel that too much time has been invested in exploring his domestic life, rather than seeing him in action on the field. At a run-time of a little over two hours, the film could’ve easily been edited more crisply, to cut it short by 10-15 minutes. That would’ve helped in tightening the overall narrative too. 

Verdict:

Kaun Pravin Tambe? is an inspiring story of chasing one’s dream with perseverance and not giving up, despite all odds. Yes, there are some setbacks in the film’s treatment (much like the journey of Tambe), it is imperative that we look past them (and not be like the ones who only looked at Tambe’s age, not his talent) and cherish his passion and love for the game.