Indians
are
passionate
about
cricket.
Am
also
sure
you
must've
encountered
a
number
of
cricket
fanatics
over
the
years.
Most
film-makers
dread
to
release
their
films
during
crucial
matches,
fearing
that
a
sizable
chunk
of
moviegoers
would
prefer
to
watch
a
match
than
a
movie.
This
year,
we've
had
Victory
[Harman
Baweja,
Amrita
Rao]
and
Dil
Bole
Hadippa
[Rani
Mukherji,
Shahid
Kapoor]
focusing
on
this
popular
sport.
Prior
to
that
Lagaan,
Iqbal
and
Jannat.
Now
World
Cupp
2011.
Unfortunately,
World
Cupp
2011
neither
excites
you
as
a
cinematic
experience,
nor
does
it
whip
up
those
passions.
Ravi
Kapoor
essays
the
captain
of
the
Indian
cricket
team,
who
tanks
a
match
with
the
help
of
his
team-mates
against
arch
rivals
Pakistan
in
World
Cup.
They
are
banned
for
four
years
when
exposed
by
the
media.
His
girl-friend
Soha
[Manisha
Chatterjee]
dumps
him
and
his
family
disowns
him.
Cut
to
2011.
Ravi
is
given
one
more
chance
to
prove
his
patriotism
by
the
coach
[Suresh
Oberoi].
Ravi
is
again
approached
by
the
same
bookie
[Zakir
Hussain]
to
repeat
the
same
performance
once
again,
but
this
time
he
turns
the
offer
down.
His
girl-friend
is
kidnapped.
Ravi
goes
through
a
crisis
before
he
wins
the
World
Cup
trophy.
World
Cupp
2011
falls
flat
due
to
a
weak
script.
The
film
tries
to
explore
the
unholy
nexus
between
cricketers-bookies-underworld,
besides
the
rise-fall-rise
of
a
cricketer,
but
the
writing
is
so
amateurish
that
it
doesn't
hold
your
attention.
Perhaps
the
intentions
were
right,
but
not
the
final
output.
Debutante
writer-director
Ravi
Kapoor
may've
borrowed
from
real-life,
but
several
portions
seem
unpalatable.
Like,
for
instance,
the
ease
with
which
the
captain
of
the
Indian
cricket
team
and
even
the
umpire
interact
with
underworld
dons
while
the
final
match
is
in
progress
seems
bizarre.
Talking
of
acting,
Ravi
Kapoor
has
screen
presence,
but
needs
to
work
on
his
acting
skills.
Prem
Chopra,
Suresh
Oberoi
and
Zakir
Hussain
are
passable.
On
the
whole,
World
Cupp
2011
is
a
weak
fare.