Kaun Pravin Tambe is an inspirational tale of grit and determination

Nonika Singh

Kaun Pravin Tambe? If you are not a diehard cricket buff, duly clued in to every single cricketer and are likely to repeat the question the film’s title asks; who is indeed Pravin Tambe, well, the film answers all your queries. First and foremost, why should a biopic be made on a cricketer who is not exactly a household name?  The reasons are very many but the most significant one is; it’s a classic case of an underdog, just the kind of story that cinema must tell. 

Tambe, like many cricketers was born with a wooden spoon, in the tenements of Mumbai, the not-so-glamorous side of Maximum City. Yet, he let neither his unprivileged background nor his responsibilities come in the way of his singular drive; cricket. What makes his story even more riveting is that he was trying to get a berth in Ranji at the ripe age of 40. Yes, the very age at which even celebrated cricketers retire. What kept him going, what made him surpass insurmountable obstacles, including fending for his family, is the stuff that real passion and Tambe is made of. 

As his inspirational tale of sheer grit and determination comes alive in the brilliant act by Shreyas Talpade in the titular part, we get absorbed in his tale which is as simply told as the simple man that Tambe is. 

The atmospherics in which the movie is set are natural sans flamboyance. There is no extra fluff, no artifice and no deliberately induced tear-jerking moments. Sure, the scene where he is humiliated by his bête noire, the sports journalist Rajat Sanyal (Parambrata Chatterjee turns a shade grey), in the bar is heartbreaking. 

If Sanyal’s misplaced and slightly inexplicable animosity towards Tambe provides dramatic interest, his family life with a deft Anjali Patil portraying his other half grounds his character further in his roots. By and large the director Jayprad Desai and writer Kiran Yadnyopavit stay with Tambe and his cricket. We learn how he, an all-rounder and a medium pace bowler later found his metier in spin bowling under the guidance of coach (competent Ashish Vidyarthi). 

While the narrative arc does not follow a linear style, nor does it go back and forth on the timeline endlessly to confuse the viewer. Of course, there comes a point when film slacks a bit and we wonder aloud; why we should be invested in the life of a sportsman struggling till 40.  But the film cruises to a satisfactory climax that is as heartening as inspirational.

As we become privy to his talent and his failed attempts to get recognition at the national level, we empathise with him, root for him and finally salute him. It’s a pity that we didn’t know who Pravin Tambe is! And all those who are still clueless, watch the film. Streaming on Disney +Hotstar, it captures the uphill journey of a man who made his IPL debut at the age of 41 and became the oldest ever IPL debutant. There are a few more laurels to the credit of this late bloomer. Age, says his club-mate Abey Kuruvilla (Nitin Rao), is not a superstition (bhoot) that one can believe or disbelieve in, but is a fact. Yet, Tambe’s exemplary zeal is a living testimonial that age is just a number. And the film drives home the point straight to your heart.