‘Roar of the Lion’ is triumph of human spirit: Kabir
Mumbai: Filmmaker Kabir Khan, who is looking forward to the release of his documentary “Roar of the Lion” from Wednesday on Hotstar, has described it as a classic tale of triumph of the human spirit.
Interacting with the media at the special screening of the “Roar…” along with writer Kausar Munir here on Tuesday, Khan said: “This story is amazing.”
The story is about how a bunch of men in yellow jerseys wrote one of India’s greatest comeback stories under the leadership of M.S. Dhoni.
But the filmmaker said on Tuesday: “It’s not about cricket. I think you can take away cricket and replace it with kabaddi. It’s the story that stands through.”
The documentary series follows the human emotions of not only the members of Team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but also of their beloved fans.
It is rooted in the 2 years time span during the days when CSK was banned over allegations of match fixing.
Khan said: “Had it not been true and one had written it, then people would have called it ‘a very cliched story’.
“They would have questioned — how it could happen that a team banned does not only make a comeback but also wins the tournament. So, ultimately that’s what drew me into this story.
“It’s a classic story which shows triumph of the human spirit.”
Shot across multiple locations including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Australia, this is a finite story of six episodes of 30 minutes each.
Shot across Indian locations — from Chepauk Stadium in Chennai to Dhoni’s hometown of Ranchi, the story weaves in a narrative never seen before created by master storyteller Kabir Khan.
It also marks his debut in the digital space. It is a co-production by Dhoni Entertainment Pvt Ltd and Banijay Asia.
And comes just in time with the 2019 IPL season kicking off with the first match on March 23 between defending champions CSK against Rayoal Challengers Bangalore.
Khan is also working on a film titled “83”, which revolves around Indian cricket team’s 1983 World Cup win.
Asked whether it was a coincidence that he was working on two back-to-back cricket stories, Khan said: “What I believe is that I have two huge and amazing human stories running back to back with me.
“There are a lot of similarities. I think the Indian cricket team that won the 1983 WC landed up there in England where nobody were expecting them to win. Then, how they fought against all odds and went on to win the Cup
“It is also a story in certain sense — when you are banned and you are thrown out of the wilderness and then against all odds you go on and again win 2018 IPL tournament.
“So, in that sense, there are similarities and they both are amazing human stories and it’s just a coincidence that they happened to be cricket.”
‘Roar of the Lion’ is a Hotstar Specials series and it will stream from March 20 onwards.