M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story

M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film directed and co-written by Neeraj Pandey. It is based on the life of former Test, ODI and T20I captain of the Indian national cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is played by Sushant Singh Rajput. The film ensemble cast also includes Disha Patani, Kiara Advani, and Anupam Kher. The film chronicles the life of Dhoni from a young age through a series of life events.

The idea of the biopic was put forward by Dhoni's manager, Arun Pandey, after encountering an incident at an airport after the 2011 Cricket World Cup Final. Development began two years later, with the consent of Dhoni. Neeraj Pandey was later approached to helm the film while he was working on Baby. Pandey recruited a number of people for researching into Dhoni's background and his life events. Dhoni eventually became a consultant on the film.

The film was released on 30 September 2016 by Fox Star Studios and received the widest release ever for a Bollywood film across 61 countries. In addition to being released in Hindi language, it was also dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi languages, although the Marathi release was later cancelled due to opposition. Upon release, the film became a critical and commercial success. It is the fifth highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2016 and sixth highest grossing Indian film of 2016 worldwide ₹215.48 crore (US$25 million).

Plot

Mahendra "Mahi" Singh Dhoni is born in Ranchi to Paan Singh Dhoni, a pump operator. At the age of fourteen, Mahi is chosen to play for his school's cricket team by coach Keshav Banerjee though he was a goalkeeper in the football team. Initially a wicket keeper, Mahi improves his batting skills and becomes a regular member of the team.