Every second Hindi film, if it has the potential, tends to exploit the theme of patriotism. Kabir Khan's 83 has all the space and possible story elements which demand a song of patriotism to boost the fervour. Pritam delivers with a rousing qawwali-style ballad that layers the transformative moment of the Indian cricket team in the World Cup in 1983.
While the story itself is quite inspiring — for most of the current generation of cricket fans, the 1983 tournament is the stuff of legend — the makers have gone for an over-the-top buildup to the team's journey. There is the little fan telling the players he won't watch the next match as India hardly ever wins.
As cricket fans know, India's team with its feared spin quartet had proved itself with Test series wins over the West Indies in the West Indies and over England home and away in the 1970s. While the team was not feared in One-Day Internationals, India was still blessed with impressive talent. Yet, the hero of Kabir Khan's story is Ranveer Singh's Kapil Dev, and hence the story takes a turn.
Of course, most films based on real life use some creative liberty and 83 does the same. Backing it up is Pritam's inspiring ballad that seeks to unfurl the Tricolour on English soil with a tournament win. Except, things are not going great. The song picks up with Kapil Dev going through the struggling team, trying to find the right words to prod his boys to battle.
As the song builds up, the team goes from being battered with bouncers to swinging sixes out of the park. There is also a blink-and-you-miss moment of a personality clash implied between Tahir Raj Bhasin's Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev.
Pritam's composition, like always, builds to a rousing climax. Kausar Munir's lyrics stress the need for self-inspiration and drive which the Indian team seeks and turns into an almost spiritual journey. The composition itself goes from a simple musical ballad to a qawwali with Sufi metaphors. Catchy, exciting, with the right lyrics, the song leaves a mark. Arijit Singh's vocals only make it more attractive.
Directed by Kabir Khan, 83 is set to be released in theatres on 24 December 2021. Watch the song below and let us know if you are keen on watching the film.