'Beyond All Boundaries' Gripping But Lacks Historical Essence

FILM: “Beyond All Boundaries”; Cast: Kunal Nayyar (as narrator); Director: Sushrat Jain; Rating: **1/2

Released under the Enlighten Films banner, director Sushrat Jain’s piece of art, “Beyond All Boundaries” captures the euphoria as well as the hysteria that surrounds cricket in India.

Against the backdrop of the 2011 Cricket World Cup matches, the film traces the lives of three ardent cricket lovers; the 12-year-old Prithvi Shaw, 18-year-old Akshaya Surve and 30-year-old Sudhir Kumar Gautam, who against all odds are passionate about the game. Coming from humble backgrounds, each one’s story displays grit that touches you.

Touted to be in the mould of Sachin Tendulkar, young Prithvi is a prodigy. He hails from a far off suburb of Mumbai and his story speaks about ambitious parents and their goals. In this case, his father pushes him to the boundaries to excel.

Whereas, in Akshaya’s case, her goals are self-laden, her story is laced with her personal issues filled with anxiety and fear of rejection. Her circumstances and her ambition are the two ends of the rainbow, which against all odds, she is coping to string together.

But it is Sudhir Kumar Gautam’s story that stands out from the rest. An ardent fan, he never played cricket or aspired to be a cricketer and yet, he humbly considers himself to be a cricket ‘yogi’ or a ‘sanyasi’, for he claims to have forsaken his life for the game and its heroes.