Thrilling trailer for '83' introduces Ranveer Singh as cricketer Kapil Dev

The film, about India's first Cricket World Cup win in 1983, will premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah

Ranveer Singh as former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev in the Bollywood film '83'. Photo: Reliance Entertainment

Nothing whips up a frenzy in India quite like cricket. Add the sport to a Bollywood film story, cast actors with mass appeal, and you've got a bonafide blockbuster.

Distributors of the long-delayed 83, which tracks India's historic cricket World Cup win in 1983 in England, have been waiting patiently since early last year to release the film in cinemas. Postponed at least three times as coronavirus-imposed restrictions shuttered theatres across India, first in April 2020 and then again in June this year, the sports drama looks set to finally meet its fate at the box office with the release of its first trailer on Tuesday.

Starring popular actor Ranveer Singh as former Indian captain Kapil Dev, 83 also features a number of acclaimed actors, including Singh's wife Deepika Padukone, who also plays his wife in the film, as well as Pankaj Tripathi, Boman Irani, Saqib Saleem and Tahir Raj Bhasin. To take advantage of the subject's wide appeal, producers will also simultaneously release the film in regional languages Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

"The incredible true story of the underdogs who pulled off the unthinkable," Singh said on Instagram, sharing several versions of the trailer.

The Hindi trailer, which has already been viewed more than 15 million times on YouTube in a few hours since it dropped, opens with the Indian team struggling against Zimbabwe at the Nevill Ground in England. With odds stacked against them, it's up to captain Dev to save the day, which he did, eventually helping India advance to the finals where they meet tournament favourites West Indies.

"We are here to win," Singh as Dev tells a small group of sceptical journalists in one scene. Rapturous shots of cheering and flag waving are then shown as India takes home the cup for the first time.

Announced in 2017, production for 83 began in early 2019 and wrapped up later that year, only for Covid-19 to halt its anticipated release many times.

"As a young schoolboy when I watched India win the 1983 Cricket World Cup I had no idea that from that day onwards cricket in India will change forever. As a filmmaker, for me, the journey to that win, filled with raw energy and sheer passion of that young Indian team, is probably one of the most exciting stories I have worked on," director Kabir Khan said earlier. "And it’s great to have Ranveer come on board to play Kapil Dev, as honestly, I could see no one else for the role, ever since I started finalising the script."

83 will have its world premiere at the inaugural Red Sea International Festival in Jeddah on December 15. The film will be released in cinemas on December 24.