First Look: Shreyas Talpade - 41 going on T20

Shreyas Talpade-led biopic Kaun Pravin Tambe to retell the story of bowler Tambe, who shattered ageist norms when he was picked up for the IPL at the age of 41

Is age just a number? Cynics wouldn’t think so. But cricketer Pravin Tambe, who made his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Rajasthan Royals at the age of 41, showed that dreams can be neither defined nor destroyed by age. His unlikely stint at the franchise tourney, at an age when most players hang up their boots, is being retold on celluloid. Shreyas Talpade will bring to screen the bowler’s tenacious love for the sport with the biopic, Kaun Pravin Tambe?

For Talpade, a cricket ground is familiar territory. The actor, at the start of his career, had caught everyone’s attention with the sports drama, Iqbal (2005). “After 17 years of playing the lead in Iqbal, I feel fortunate that I am portraying Pravin on screen. The role and the story provided me with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says the actor, who trained extensively with the leggie to perfect his action. Talpade adds, “I will treasure the time spent with him in preparing for this role.”

Tambe. Pic/Suresh Karkera

The Disney+ Hotstar film — also starring Ashish Vidyarthi and Parambrata Chatterjee, and backed by Fox Star Studios and Friday Filmworks — will trace the story of Tambe, who since his early 20s, aspired to play the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai. Over the next two decades, he tried to break into domestic first-class cricket while doing small-time jobs in CA firms and a diamond company. His dream of making it big was realised in 2012 when Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid, having followed his performance at the Vijay Hazare tournament, picked him up for the Jaipur franchise. In 2013, Tambe, 42 then, was handed his first Ranji Trophy cap when the Mumbai team included him in their line-up for their match against Jharkhand. “I feel humbled that my story has inspired so many, and now has been made into a film. My only wish is that more people get inspired to live their dreams. They should never underestimate their potential, no matter what their circumstances are,” says the bowler, who represented the Gujarat Lions and the Sunrisers Hyderabad, before retiring in 2017.

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