Actor Ranbir Kapoor recently suggested that Virat act as himself in a biopic on him.??
My first reaction was, ¡°But Kohli is not an underdog!¡±
Classic sports films and biopics are about the underdog winning in the end despite insurmountable odds.
Remember Hollywood films like Rocky and The Karate Kid? And the Bollywood movies Chak De India, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Dangal? They were all about underdogs.
Marx has said, ¡°Religion is the opiate of the masses.¡± Cricket, in India, is almost an opiate, at least when we are winning.?
I, too, am guilty of mood swings from extreme elation to massive depression when we win and when we don¡¯t.
I have cursed the BBC for not filming Kapil Dev¡¯s classy 175 not out, deliriously witnessed the 1983 World Cup victory on a black and white grainy television in a public place, and almost wept when we lost the finals in 2003.
The film Lagaan had several layers of under-doggishness, if I may use the phrase. It pitted British vs Indian, rulers vs subjects, outsiders vs natives, and rich vs poor. The script cleverly mixed patriotism with cricket and created a heady brew.
But Virat Kohli, by no stretch of imagination, is an underdog.
He didn¡¯t have to work as a clerk in a remote place like Dhoni, nor had to suffer personal setbacks like Shami.
I kept thinking about it and did some research.
When Virat was barely 18, he lost his father, who had always supported his dream. He was in the middle of a crucial match, 40 not out the previous evening. Despite his father¡¯s untimely demise, he reported at the stadium, continued to bat, scored 90 to help his team avoid a follow-on, and only then went to the funeral.?
He has impressive statistics and many firsts to his credit and has starred in quite a few successful run chases under pressure.
A lesser known among his records is him getting out for a diamond duck. A golden duck is when a batter gets out for zero on the first ball faced. Diamond duck is getting run out without facing a single delivery. Really unlucky, that!
And he has been in some interesting situations, too, like the ¡®middle finger¡¯ incident in Australia.
In his defence, he tweeted:
My Punjabi friends often use swear words without offending anyone. Kohli is a Punjabi, and yet he was hurt, so the Aussie crowds must have been very abusive for him to retaliate. I don¡¯t blame him.
Earlier, some people considered his game and captaincy as too aggressive.?
But I think there is indeed a very thin line between being aggressive and assertive.
He also has quite a list of achievements in fields other than cricket.?
Virat has been featured in a list of best-dressed men; he has a wax statue at Madame Tussauds and a stand named after him at a cricket stadium.?
While shooting for a shampoo advertisement, he met actress Anushka Sharma, and the rest, as they say, is romantic history.?
This year, his brand endorsements have crossed ?1,000 crore.?
Despite his long list of achievements, he is human, humane, and superstitious.
He endorses many brands and products but excludes ¡®cardamom¡¯, ¡®soda¡¯, and 'bottled water', which stand in for things that cannot be legally advertised. I admire him for that.?
He is a vegetarian and exercises a lot. He has invested in football, tennis, wrestling, a chain of fitness centres, and a fashion brand.
His 'Virat Kohli Foundation' helps underprivileged children, and the 'Athlete Development Programme' supports young athletes.
Whatever the result of tomorrow's match, Virat stands tall, like a giant, towering way above that win or loss. His good work, both off and on the field, will outlast this tournament.
I now believe someone should make a movie on him, and Virat should act as himself in it.
His real-life heroine, Anushka, will readily agree to star in it, I¡¯m sure.
Did you see their spontaneous exchange of flying kisses after his latest century??
It was very cute and heartwarming!
And so was her reaction with folded hands when he was still on zero; New Zealand appealed for LBW, and DRS showed him not out.
So, the makers will not have to invent anything to add masala to the movie.?
And maybe his biopic will start a new genre of sports movies without the underdog.
I sure will watch it first day first show!
The writer is a former fighter pilot of the IAF and is now a commercial airline pilot. He is the author of three novels and many blog posts, available at?www.avinashchikte.com