I hear Tamil superstar Dhanush will play Vishwanathan Anand who is to chess what Virat Kohli is to cricket. A bio-pic on the chess champ seems on the surface like a great idea. After all, it is unexplored territory in our cinema. And apparently the minds behind this brainwave are impressed by the successful Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit, the story of a female chess champ beating the men in their own game.
But those who think they can make Vishwanathan look interesting to the audience must understand that The Queen’s Gambit worked because it is fictional Everyone thinks the chess champ Beth Harmon really existed. She didn’t. She’s an invention of the writers.
The Grandmaster is with us.And God willing he will be with us for a long time. He is no doubt the indisputable king of his game. I hear Aanand Rai will direct the bio-pic and Rai’s favourite actor Dhanush will play Vishwanathan.
Yes , Dhanush is Tamilian like Vishwanthan. But they don’t bear the faintest physical resemblance to one another.
Does Dhanush know how to play chess? Since it is a board game how can he prevent the audiences from getting board watching it? Can Dhanush make chess look interesting? The scope to give the game a sleek attractive spin is excruciatingly limited. We need a director who knows how to use interior spaces to the optimum. Aanand Rai strikes me as a director who is comfortable in the outdoors. His best films Tanu Weds Manu and Raanjhana were shot on outdoor locations.
Can the Grandmaster’s game and his life look interesting from the outside? The Queen’s Gambit is fine. What about the King’s gambit?