BEHINDWOODS COLUMN

Million Dollar Arm, the latest Hollywood movie from Disney, directed by Craig Gillespie, released recently across India.

Every movie needs a certain buzz to pull the audience to the theaters. This movie had enough because of its Music Director - none other than our own Isai Puyal A.R.Rahman. Also, the news that he has added one of his old Tamil songs in this movie increased the buzz still further.

 

The plot of this movie is about the reality show an American sports agent JB Bernstein, along with his partner Ash, creates in India to scout baseball pitchers. The show is called Million Dollar Arm. Their aim is to select two Indians who haven't even touched a baseball before in their life, teach them the game in America, and to make them Major League Baseball Players within a year - the deal considered by many as impossible. 

 

The first half of this movie had some fine enjoyable moments - it shows the struggles of JB and his friend in India, and the boys' reaction when they are out of their village and when in a foreign country for the first time.

 

Another important point that works in the favor of the movie is that the makers also made sure that India isn't shown as too bad. 
 

The movie has some fine performances from our Indians – especially, the two boys, Dinesh and Rinku (Pi from Life of Pi), who get selected in the Million Dollar Arm competition, and the guy who wants to be a baseball coach. Along with them, the genius ARR delivers just what the movie needs.

 

Whenever we see this line, "Based on a true story", it automatically grabs our attention and makes us invest more in the movie. Particularly, if the true story is a sport drama, which shows the rise of underdogs – it inspires and motivates. 

 

And, this movie has a similar plot – a true story that most of us are yet to hear. It just makes us realize how many big things, that we don't notice, happen around us in our country. 

 

The entire thanks should go to Disney for bringing this movie to us.

 

We go into this movie being proud of ARR for scoring music for a Hollywood movie, and we come out even prouder – because of the boys Dinesh and Rinku.