Roar of the Lion
Release Poster
GenreDocuseries
Written byAmardeep Galsin
Directed byAmir Rizvi
Creative directorKhuzema Haveliwala
ComposersGaurav Godkindhi
Vishal J. Singh
Country of originIndia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes5 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersKabir Khan
Jigar Thakkar
CinematographyNikhil Tandon
EditorsPradeep Singh Negi
Vinod Salhotra
Production companiesDhoni Entertainment
Banijay Asia
Original release
NetworkHotstar
Release20 March 2019 (2019-03-20)

Roar of The Lion is a 2019 Indian English-language documentary drama web series for Hotstar, co-produced by Kabir Khan, written by Amardeep Galsin and directed by Amir Rizvi, starring MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo with Faf du Plessis, Deepak Chahar and Ambati Rayudu as supporting cast. The series follows the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings, who returned to the 2018 edition of the IPL after serving a two-year ban for allegedly being involved in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal.[1][2]

The documentary series took three months for the completion of the writing, with the series being shot in India (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai) and Australia. The distribution rights of the documentary were acquired by the digital platform Hotstar, and was eventually released under Hotstar Specials, the original content providing label of the streaming service, and the series is the first one to be released in the label.[3] The series premiered on 20 March 2019 and was dubbed in Tamil and Hindi languages.[4][5][6]

Background

The documentary follows the comeback of the CSK franchise in 2018 after they missed out on playing in the world's richest T20 league, the Indian Premier League, for about two years.[7] The documentary reveals the emotional memories and experiences one of India's most celebrated cricket players, MS Dhoni. Dhoni had faced serious allegations regarding spot fixing in 2013,[8][9] and then led Chennai Super Kings to a title at the 2018 IPL tournament after two years of suspension from playing in the IPL. The trailer of the documentary revealed Dhoni speaking about the bad days of the CSK franchise as it was involved in the 2013 spot-fixing controversy along with fellow team Rajasthan Royals.[7]

Characters

Main Characters:

Secondary Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"What Did We Do Wrong"Amir RizviAmardeep Galsin20 March 2019 (2019-03-20)
It showcases the different chapters that the docudrama will focus on later. It starts with MS Dhoni recalling the spot-fixing controversy in 2013 and likened it to the 2007 World Cup, when India failed to progress from the group stage. MS Dhoni further says that in 2007, the team didn't play well, but in 2013, the scenario was completely different.
2"We Are Back"Amir RizviAmardeep Galsin20 March 2019 (2019-03-20)
In the episode, MS Dhoni recalls the incident and revealed that he was already emotional before heading to the stage, as he was asked to address the team after a video montage of the franchise and an emotional speech by franchise owner N Srinivasan.
3"We Start Our Journey"Amir RizviAmardeep Galsin20 March 2019 (2019-03-20)
The episode showcases the re-entry game of CSK, which CSK dramatically won, and how CSK had to leave Chennai because of Cauvery issues.
4"We Fall. We Rise"Amir RizviAmardeep Galsin20 March 2019 (2019-03-20)
In the episode, MS Dhoni admitted that the 'Dad's Army' trolls, who were going viral on social media at the time, were worrying. "At one stage, I started wondering whether these 'Daddy's army' jibes will come back to haunt us." Another segment shows the birth of Whistle Podu Express.
5"We Win. We Roar"Amir RizviAmardeep Galsin20 March 2019 (2019-03-20)
The episode highlights MS Dhoni's cricketing mind. During the segment showcasing a match-winning innings by Faf du Plessis, a member of CSK's social media team recalled what the CSK captain had said about the Proteas batsman in the dressing room a few months before. "As I was watching du Plessis, I was just thinking about the time when Mahi bhai had said that Faf will step up in the toughest of situations."

Production

On 15 January 2019, the streaming platform Hotstar,[10][11] announced its foray to original content production exclusively for the service,[12] with STAR India,[13] the parent company of Hotstar,[12] tied up with 15 Indian filmmakers for creating the shows for its label called Hotstar Specials.[14][15] The series is the first one to be released under Hotstar Specials.[16][17]

Filmmaker Kabir Khan, who served as the co-producer of the series, revealed that it took about nearly three months to make the documentary. It was his second sports film based on cricket after 83, which was based on the India's road to glory at the 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup.[18] Coincidentally, former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni made his debut in a digital platform, through this project.[19] The series consists of five episodes, each having a runtime of around 30 minutes.[20] Portions of the series were shot in India (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai) and Australia.[21]

Release

The official teaser for the series was unveiled on 5 March,[22] followed by the trailer on 9 March.[21] The documentary web series was supposed to have its special screening on 19 March 2019 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, as it was based on the team Chennai Super Kings, but the plan was later dropped due to security concerns, as there were expectations of huge crowds for the event.[23] The series eventually released through Hotstar on 20 March 2019, in Hindi and Tamil languages.[24] The documentary received praise from the CSK teammates,[25] along with popular actors and actresses giving support to the series.[26]

Reception

Critical response

Critic Priyansh of Firstpost reviewed the documentary series stating "From Roar of the Lion to the stands, cricket supporters are neglected with consummate ease. The fan experience, from the stadium to the television, is a relegated concern; the rich, the powerful, and the popular dictate the interests of those who run the game. For the privilege of the star cricketer, the iridescent lives of CSK fans are overlooked in a narrative laced with apathy and indifference. Supporters are cast as props, their voices matter only when they are heard chanting a cricketer's name. Otherwise, their bleatings is just ambient noise in the afterglow of the insuperable hero."[27] Chandresh Narayanan of The Quint opined that "The series breezes through the middle phase of the tournament, but they don’t hold back when it comes to cracking a joke at their own expense."[28] Vinayakk Mohanarajan of Scroll.in commented "A large part of the series is dedicated to the extraordinary connect the fans have developed with the franchise over the past decade."[29]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2019 iReel Awards[30] Best Non Fiction Show Roar of The Lion Nominated

See also

References

  1. ↑ "MS Dhoni bared his soul in Roar of the Lion: Kabir Khan". The Indian Express. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  2. ↑ "MS Dhoni to feature in Hotstar's docu-drama Roar of the Lion". The Indian Express. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  3. ↑ "M.S. Dhoni and The Office Remake Part of Hotstar's First Five Originals". NDTV Gadgets 360. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  4. ↑ "Hotstar's original show with MS Dhoni to premiere on 20 March". TelevisionPost. 5 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  5. ↑ Kansal, Sonal (6 March 2019). "Roar of the Lion – The untold Dhoni story to come on Hotstar". InsideSport. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  6. ↑ SpotboyE. "MS Dhoni's Production Roar Of Lions To Be The First Big Release On Hotstar Specials". www.spotboye.com. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  7. 1 2 PTI (11 March 2019). "Dhoni opens up about Spot Fixing scandal". InsideSport. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  8. ↑ "Fans Will See 'Very Personal' Side Of MS Dhoni In 'Roar Of The Lion': Kabir Khan". outlookindia. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  9. ↑ "Roar of the Lion: Was MS Dhoni part of the 'biggest crime' that he could commit?". in.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019.
  10. ↑ "We are not building Hindi shows but Indian content: Gaurav Banerjee, Star India". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media.
  11. ↑ "Hotstar announces original content under Hotstar Specials; to be out in March". Exchange4Media. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  12. 1 2 "Hotstar Taps 15 Indian Filmmakers for Originals Expansion, Starting March". NDTV Gadgets 360. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  13. ↑ James, Nandana (14 January 2019). "Star India rolling out next big bet on OTT platform- Hotstar Specials". @businessline. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  14. ↑ Jha, Lata (14 January 2019). "Hotstar adds to streaming drama with originals". mint. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  15. ↑ "Hotstar Specials: Star India collaborates with Salman Khan, Kabir Khan, among others for new OTT platform". Firstpost. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  16. ↑ "Is 'Roar Of The Lion' Hotstar's way of creating more content around IPL 2019? - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  17. ↑ "M.S. Dhoni and The Office Remake Part of Hotstar's First Five Originals". NDTV Gadgets 360. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "Hotstar Specials releases the trailer of MS Dhoni's 'Roar Of The Lion'". Mumbai Live. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  19. ↑ "MS Dhoni makes his digital debut with Roar Of The Lion". in.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  20. ↑ Entertainment, Quint (5 March 2019). "Dhoni to Tell His Story in Hotstar's Docu-Drama 'Roar of the Lion'". TheQuint. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  21. 1 2 "Roar of the Lion trailer: Hotstar documentary traces MS Dhoni and Chennai Super King's journey to the top". The Indian Express. 10 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  22. ↑ "MS Dhoni to feature in Hotstar's docu-drama Roar of the Lion". The Indian Express. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  23. ↑ "Security fear cancels screening of film on CSK at stadium". The New Indian Express.
  24. ↑ "Roar of the Lion: MS Dhoni speaks about CSK ban, comeback and title triumph". Hindustan Times. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  25. ↑ Team, DNA Web (16 March 2019). "IPL 2019: Chennai Super Kings players praise MS Dhoni's 'Roar of The Lion' documentary". DNA India. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  26. ↑ "Roar of the Lion: Celebrities can't wait to watch MS Dhoni's docu-drama". The Indian Express. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  27. ↑ "Roar of the Lion, CSK documentary review: Fans an afterthought in MS Dhoni's hagiography". Firstpost. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  28. ↑ Narayanan, Chandresh (20 March 2019). "'Roar of the Lion': Dhoni Talks, Yes, But He Could've Said More". TheQuint. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  29. ↑ Mohanarangan, Vinayakk. "'Roar of the Lion': Unabashed ode to CSK fans, few honest glimpses of Dhoni (but not much else)". Scroll.in. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  30. ↑ "nominations". News18. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
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