Sujatro Mukhopadhyay

Never forget the fact that the censor board forced the makers of the film Phule to remove all mention of caste system from the film, but let this run as it is.

83 is excellent, when it is not trying to be more than what it is - a nostalgic retelling of India's victory at the 1983 world cup, and a celebration of cricket lovers. Hence, whenever it tries to add political subtext, it falls short as the subject matter lacks the complex treatment, and so it comes across as half baked. Much of the second half suffers because of that. Don't expect anything life-changing, and just watch it for good fun, then you will definitely not be disappointed, rather it will exceed your expectations that way.

The only good thing that I can say about this film, is that it's somehow less traumatic than Judwaa 2.

Please do watch the film and form your own judgements, I don't want my opinion to overshadow yours, as it may obviously differ. I see many people flat out saying "don't watch this film" and I feel that is a bit unfair. These are small-scale experimental films, which are often overshadowed by overblown commercial films which people consume without a thought. So whether good or bad, films like these do deserve to be seen, as that will at least give filmmakers the courage to take risks. Having said that, this is what I felt about the film, and it's a completely personal observation and you may have your own. It was unwatchable at the beginning. The pretentious name drops and Anil Kapoor's over the top acting being sold as "real" were an absolute cringe fest. I did start feeling engrossed with some genuinely thrilling and innovative moments like a chase scene where you can hear the camera person panting and Anil Kapoor doing a deranged dance on the stage almost mocking the powerlessness of the "star" in front of his fans. Also, and this may be an unpopular opinion, but Harshvardhan Kapoor did quite a decent job, it actually felt like he was the only person who understood the experimental nature of the film. But as soon as the big twist happens at the end (was Motwane really trying to rip off Farhan Akhtar's remake of Don?), I realised that even Motwane himself didn't understand the creative possibilities of his own concept. Not only did the ending give rise to innumerable plot holes, but rendered a lot of the powerful moments of the film reductive. The twist seemed to be there just for the sake of it. So it ends up being a caricature with uneven tonal shifts and heavy amount of self-indulgence.Yes, the concept is truly great, but you must have an equally enthralling story to back it up, otherwise it would end up feeling like a gimmick, which this film does. I would have given it a 2/5 considering the attempt of a concept like this, but I am tired of giving Vikramaditya Motwane browny points for just trying.