Iqbal is a deaf mute boy boy from a small town but with huge dreams - he wants to play in the Indian cricket team. What, another silly cricket fantasy? Absolutely not, this one is a heartwarming tale of the real struggle to beat all odds and achieve one's dream. There is no larger than life scenario, no desire do good, just to try to be what one has dreamed of being. Iqbal is played with great gusto by Shreyas Talpade - a young man to watch out for. In fact after his sixer in Iqbal he scored big again in Dor - so the talent is consistent. Girish Karnad played the worldly wise and manipulative Guruji who sees promise in Iqbal but has to watch out for his own interests. The character of the film was Mohit, the has been cricket player who is also the town drunk - no one but Naseer could have essayed this role with such perfection. After ages one saw a brother sister due that was real and tugged at the heartstrings, Shweta Prasad was brilliant as Khadija, the sister, who believes in her brother's greatness.
If there were some faults they were only two in my opinion. Why was the father so fanatically opposed to cricket? Nagesh tries to explain that in the end but it was still far short of a reasonable explanation. Secondly, what were all these people with cricket expertise doing in that two horse town?
The film is brilliantly situated in locales that are so real you can smell the dirt. The background score is very effective as are the minimal songs in the films. Kudos to Mr. Kukunoor for taking the hackneyed topic of cricket and weaving a brilliant tale around it. This is an excellent film, touching, entertaining and uplifting. And Shreyas Talpade has the best guileless smile. You want to smile with him at every twist and turn of the tale.
If there were some faults they were only two in my opinion. Why was the father so fanatically opposed to cricket? Nagesh tries to explain that in the end but it was still far short of a reasonable explanation. Secondly, what were all these people with cricket expertise doing in that two horse town?
The film is brilliantly situated in locales that are so real you can smell the dirt. The background score is very effective as are the minimal songs in the films. Kudos to Mr. Kukunoor for taking the hackneyed topic of cricket and weaving a brilliant tale around it. This is an excellent film, touching, entertaining and uplifting. And Shreyas Talpade has the best guileless smile. You want to smile with him at every twist and turn of the tale.