A sports TV series is a big deal. Especially when it dares to talk about teenagers exploring their sexuality.
Movies about sports are sporadic offerings from the Indian entertainment industry. It is a rare idea when it comes to television. But with the explosion of options on the digital scene, there is more room to experiment and take risks with stories. Netflix, Anil Kapoor Film Company and London-based Seven Stories take that daring step with the small screen adaptation of Arvind Adiga's novel Selection Day. The book itself had an all right run after Adiga dazzled the world with his Man Booker Prize winner, The White Tiger. While Selection Day had all the tropes of Adiga's writing -- crazy characters, slow pace, and confusing storylines -- the TV adaptation feels crispier in comparison. The strength of the show also lies in the cast who give the story authenticity and make it somewhat relatable.
I had the chance to watch the first four episodes of the show. This is a coming-of-age story of two brothers, Radha (Yash Dholye) and Manjunath (Mohammad Samad). Their father Mohan Kumar (Rajesh Tailang) -- who will put all dragon mothers to shame -- trains these boys relentlessly, ruthlessly to become the world's best batsmen. At the age of 15, these boys come to Mumbai so that they can play club cricket and be eligible to take part in Selection Day. If they make it to the final three, out of hundreds who come for tryouts, they will be offered professional contracts, a step closer to becoming part of Team India. But things are not that simple. Manju is desperate to get out and chart his own path, but he cannot do so without helping his brother gain independence from their father. After meeting Javed (Karanvir Malhotra) at the new school, Manju explores what it means to have freedom and confidence away from the grasp of his father.
In this story, the cricket scout (Mahesh Manjarekar), the school principal (Ratna Pathak Shah), the school bully (Karanvir Malhotra) and the rich businessman sponsor with sinister intentions (Akshay Oberoi) play the role of catalysts. There is also an interesting role of Lord Subramanyam (Shiv Pandit) aka Lord Kartikeya. Those who follow cricket religiously will recall that Sachin Tendulkar visited the Kukke Subramanya temple in 2006. It is rumoured that the visit was to revive his career. Including Lord Subramanyam in the story that involves cricket, is a cheeky nod to the real world.
Mohammad Samad as Manju conveys the reasonable rebel in the initial episodes. He is one of the few characters in the series that will make you want to finish this season. Being the protagonist doesn't weigh down on Samad. Whether he is mumbling to hide the frustration of watching his mother suffer domestic violence or abiding by his father's irrational demands or being a curious kid in the science lab, Samad seems comfortable in his skin. The same cannot be said about his onscreen brother Yash Dholye. He is rough with dialogue delivery and expressing himself. I can't say much about Karanvir Malhotra's skills as the first four episodes do not explore his character enough for me to form an opinion.
Manjrekar and Shah are veterans and this shows in their flawless performances. As the crazy father, Rajesh Tailang knocks it out of the park. Shiv Pandit's outing as a deity is amusing, especially because of the conversations with Manju that are better than what we have seen so far when it comes to incorporating mythology in modern day settings, a refreshing aspect for an otherwise dramatic story.
Adiga's original story drags on the page. But the screen adaptation is, thankfully, sharper and clearer. Yet the scenes where Javed's sexuality is hinted at hits you out of nowhere. They also feel rushed. The 22-25 minutes time limit should have been extended to give some room to understand why Manju loves science and secretly detests cricket. The connection between Shah and Manjrekar's character is seamless but the same cannot be said about Akshay Oberoi's character. Oberoi goes soft when the desperation of the character needs to shine.
The series does well in bringing out the cricket scene of a city that has given us great Ranji teams and star national players for decades. But it fails when it comes to the aggressive real estate biz.
After the success of Sacred Games, the expectation from Netflix's desi content has reached a new level. Selection Day tries its best to come close but falls into the nervous nineties trap because of the cliched tropes. Except for when it comes to teens exploring sexuality. Parent-Zilla, sports coach returning for one final glorious moment (hello, Iqbal star Naseeruddin Shah), quirky headmistress, nasty businessman. We have seen it all before. But Selection Day deserves one round of binge-watch, because how often have you seen a sports TV series come out of the Indian entertainment industry?
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