New Delhi: Today marks the 37th anniversary of India's maiden World Cup title win, and actor Tahir Raj Bhasin, who will be seen essaying the role of the 'Little Master' Sunil Gavaskar in the film '83' alongside Ranveer Singh, spoke about how this world cup victory impacted his childhood.
It was on June 25, 1983, when India lifted their first-ever cricket World Cup title, defeating West Indies in the finals by 43 runs at the Lord's Cricket Ground. It is now 37 years to India's triumph in the tournament. The World Cup-winning team was led by all-rounder Kapil Dev.
"I wasn't born when India won the 83 World Cup. However, the popularity of the iconic images of the Lord's balcony and the frequency with which they were broadcast for years, coupled with my parents and grandparents tales of the nationwide ecstatic celebrations on this day in 1983 always made me feel like I'd actually lived those festivities," Bhasin said.
The actor expressed how "nostalgic" it was for him to be the part of Kabir Khan's directed '83' movie, which recounts India's massive win as rank underdogs. He also feels extremely honoured to be playing the role of the genius batsman Sunil Gavaskar.
Bhasin further said: "Recreating these treasured national memories on the sets of 83 was every Indian kid's dream come true. In my research, for the part, I was delighted to find that Sunil Gavaskar counts being a part of the first Indian team to bring home the World Cup as one of the high points of his record-breaking illustrious career." "Getting the chance to have in-depth conversations with the legend himself about the psyche with which he approached the pitch added to my experience of creating an on-screen Gavaskar," he added.
The upcoming sports drama stars Ranveer Singh as ace cricketer Kapil Dev, and Deepika Padukone in the lead opposite to Singh.
Other names in the team include Saqib Saleem, Addinath M Kothare, Chirag Patil, Harrdy Sandhu, Ammy Virk, Jatin Sarna, Sahil Khattar, R Badree, Dinker Sharma, Dhairya Karwa and Nishnat Dahhiya.
Tahir Raj Bhasin made his debut in 'Mardaani', alongside Rani Mukerji and proved that he goes into the skin of his character and brings the best out of him.
The movie was earlier slated to hit the theatres on April 10, however, due to the ongoing coronavirus crises, the release date of the movie has been pushed forward and is yet to be officially announced.
