Across the ages and decades, Cricket has been devotedly followed as a religion in India, where cricketers are celebrated as ‘Gods’. It’s a game that diminishes the difference of opinions, groups, regional and linguistic barriers, thereby enlivening the ‘Sprit of Oneness and Indian’ with infinity. With many cricketers being ennobled as the Inspiration for being the reason of escalating the game’s stature, our Tamil Nadu always looks upon the veteran cricketer Krishnamachari Srikanth as the major factor of transforming the classic game into ‘Celebration of Entertainment’. From being the aggressive opening batsman and scoring boundaries over inner ring of fielders, he offered the best thrills and action with his batting skills. Now, it’s time for actor Jiiva, the ‘Master Blaster of Celluloid’, who scores big with every character he enacts to play the role of this legendary cricketer in ‘83’, diirected by Kabir Khan.
Kabir Khan, director of the film says, “The first thing that pops up in mind when we think of ‘Krishnamachari Srikkanth’ is ‘Electrifying Energy’. That’s why, apart from capturing his incredible cricketing skills, the spotlights have always stayed upon him to catch a glimpse of his dynamism too.
While zeroing in artistes for reprising the role of Indian cricketers of 1983 world cup, we had to dig deep to find someone who could exactly mirror Krishnamachari Srikkanth Sir. After watching a few films of Jiiva, we could immediately feel his inherent zeal. Jiiva, being a great cricketer himself, made us even more confident for getting him on board. Though, he still had to undergo the process of unlearning his own style and then learning the cricketing traits of Srikkanth sir. And, I must say, that we all have been overwhelmed to see his transformation, and we are sure that everyone will love watching his performance on the big screens.”
Actor Jiiva says, “I have been passionate about cricket right from my childhood much alike films. When this offer to play the role of legendary cricket Krishnamachari Srikanth sir happened, I was completely in ‘frozen-breathless’ mode. Well, there’s a saying ‘You can’t be passionate about two things at the same time’, but for me being an avid cricketer and an actor, I now feel this myth is broken. Of course, to play the role of an icon who made cricket familiar to the street levels is a boon to me. I thank director Kabir, producers and everyone in the team for banking their trust on me and giving me quality time to prepare for the role. Working with Ranveer Singh, one of the talented actors of Indian industry was a beautiful experience. I always prefer staying beside the cool and energetic people and Ranveer Singh is a delight to work and spend time with. I am keeping fingers crossed that our people here will definitely enjoy watching the film and appreciate my performance. Personally, ‘83’ will be a remarkable film catering towards the interests of audiences spanning across 4 decades. Well, for the ones from 80s, it would be reliving the glorious moment of world cup and for others who couldn’t witness it LIVE, this will offer them to travel back in time and enjoy it.”
‘83’ will be simultaneously releasing in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi on April 10, 2020.
