83 preview: All you need to know about Kabir Khan's sports biopic starring Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev

One of the most awaited sports biographical films in Bollywood is 83. The film directed by Kabir Khan is about the Indian Cricket Team's first win at the World Cup led by legendary Kapil Dev. 83 was all set for a big-screen release in 2020, however, it faced the wrath of coronavirus pandemic and got postponed indefinitely. When the theatres reopened earlier this year, the makers announced a new release date in June. However, the second wave of COVID-19, 83, was once again postponed. Now the film is set to hit the big screens on December 24, 2021.

In the year 1983, the Indian cricket team headed to England for the third edition of the World Cup which was then known as Prudential Cup '83. The team led by Kapil Dev had several hits and misses during the series but they made it to the finals and were pitted against West Indies. Ranveer Singh plays the role of the legendary cricketer in 83 and is joined by several actors who have stepped into the shoes of cricketers who were a part of the team.

In the film, Ranveer Singh portrays the role of Kapil Dev, while Deepika Padukone plays his onscreen wife Romi Dev. Other actors who are a part of the ensemble cast include Tahir Raj Bhasin as Sunil Gavaskar, Jiiva as Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Saqib Saleem as Mohinder Amarnath, Harrdy Sandhu as Madan Lal, Ammy Virk as Balwinder Sandhu, Pankaj Tripathi as PR Man Singh, Boman Irani as Farokh Engineer, Nishant Dahiya as Roger Binny, Sahil Khattar as Syed Kirmani, Chirag Patil as his father Sandeep Patil, Adinath Kothare as Dilip Vengsarkar, Dhairya Karwa as Ravi Shastri, Dinker Sharma as Kirti Azad, Jatin Sarna as Yashpal Sharma and others.

Deepika Padukone is not only having an extended cameo appearance in 83, but she is also co-producing the film with Kabir Khan, Vishnuvardhan Induri and Sajid Nadiadwala. 

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have shared screen space in several films namely Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Finding Fanny (his special appearance), Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat and now 83.

Kapil Dev's daughter Amiya Dev is set to make her Bollywood debut with 83 but no, not as an actor. She donned the hat of an assistant director to Kabir Khan while filming the upcoming movie.

83 will not only be released in Hindi but the dubbed versions will also hit the screens in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages. For the same, Kamal Haasan (for Tamil), Nagarjuna Akkineni (for Telugu), Kiccha Sudeepa (for Kannada) and Prithviraj Sukumaran (for Malayalam) bagged the distribution rights.

The prep for 83 kickstarted at the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium in Himachal Pradesh. Soon after that, the team headed to London for their long shoot schedule. 83 has been extensively shot in Glasgow, Dulwich College in London, Edinburgh cricket club, Nevill Ground at Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent and The Oval cricket ground.