“I’m not Tendulkar, Dhoni or Kohli, why do they want to make a movie on me? – Pravin Tambe

“I’m not Tendulkar, Dhoni or Kohli, why do they want to make a movie on me?” It was his first reaction when a production house approached Pravin Tambe with the idea to make a movie on his life. Fast forward to an evening at a Mumbai hotel where he saw the movie ‘Kaun Pravin Tambe?’ for the first and only time, in a special screening held for Kolkata Knight Riders. Shreyas Iyer choked up, so did his former Mumbai team-mate Abhishek Nayar, and the foreign players enveloped him with a hug at the end of the movie. Tambe was asked to address the audience but he couldn’t; no words would come out but somehow he controlled his emotions. “The only thing I could manage to tell them is chase your dreams and dreams do come true,” Tambe tells this newspaper.
There are perhaps not many who are more qualified than him to say those words with any conviction. His life would turn around dramatically, so much so that when the movie on his life was about to be released, Tambe was playing in the Champions League in the Caribbean, and couldn’t give his final approval. His family did it for him.

“I asked my wife and my brother, how was it? They all said it’s too good. They were telling me the story, I said, no-no, please don’t, let me watch the movie myself. Then I laughed, arre yeh toh mere he story hai, (this is my story, only!)” he blushes.
It’s been some story: from anonymity to starring in front of crowds and inspiring the likes of Rahul Dravid, who shared the story in a heartwarming speech that went viral.

Still, when the moviemakers approached him for the movie, Tambe wasn’t sure.
“In the first instance I said no, I didn’t show any interest but they called me again requesting me to meet once. They wanted to show the 41-year-old Tambe’s journey. One line which struck me was when they said, people knew that you have played at the age of 41 but what you did in the last 20 years, people should know your struggle. I agreed,” Tambe says over phone where is now part of the coaching team with KKR.

His life’s script has had its tws and turns; one step forward, two steps back seemed the constant theme. Playing cricket professionally was his childhood dream but life intervened. In the 90’s, a friend who worked with Orient Shipping company drafted him in the corporate team at Times Shield and he starred. But the opposition team protested that he wasn’t even an employee to play in that corporate tournament but the company would issue a back-dated appointment letter. A few years later, though, after suffering losses, the company shut down their cricket and Tambe lost his job. He found odd jobs here and there, and in 2007, DY Patil offered him a job of playing cricket. Next year, when the IPL started, Tambe was the liaison manager inside the stadium. Then we know what happened.
Before the movie Shreyas Talpade (right), the actor, asked for 15 sittings with Tambe. (Express Photo)
There are many who believe that life’s fate runs in the lines of the palms but in the case of Tambe, it was literally his palms that changed the course of his life.

It was coach Vidya Paradkar, who insed that Tambe should try leg-spin, as he has big palms. Until then, in the 90’s, he was a medium pacer but Mumbai Ranji selectors didn’t see him fitting in the strong team. It took some time but Tambe became a leg-spinner.
At 41 he was picked for Mumbai Vijay Hazare Trophy team but didn’t play. In 2013, he was roped in Rajasthan Royals and since then he went on to play for other IPL franchises. He played for Mumbai Ranji Trophy in the 2014 season.
Pravin Tambe made his IPL debut at 41. (File)
Ever since the release of the movie, Tambe has been flooded with messages. “My phone hasn’t stopped buzzing. There have been thousands of messages on my phone. Earlier, I used to get messages from cricketing circles but now I am getting messages from corporates and other sectors. It means the movie has touched many,” he says.
Before the movie Shreyas Talpade, the actor, asked for 15 sittings with Tambe. The writers revisited his past. From Mumbai’s Parel to shifting to New Mumbai, all areas were covered. Talpade took four sittings to understand and copy his action. The production crew also told him that few fictional characters will be added to his biopic. The journal, who tried to play down Tambe in his career, was one such fictional character.

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🎥 Scenes from last night as the boys watched the inspiring #KaunPravinTambe at a special screening @DisneyPlusHS! @legytambe #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/LKjABXk1Qj
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 1, 2022
“The biggest problem was to pick my pattern. Shreyas told me that everyone has some pattern and we try to grab that but in my case there is no pattern. I told him that we as a player always try to be unique, agar joh read kar liye toh batsman maarega,” (if my action is read, the batsmen will hit me for runs),” he recalled telling the actor.
From earning 1200 rupees monthly to getting a six digit pay cheque, Tambe has seen it all. Now no one asks, “Kaun Pravin Tambe?’