Lubber Pandhu: 'Authentic' Tamil Sports Drama Wows Ashwin

Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, in a post on X, heaped praises on Tamil sports drama Lubber Pandhu, a film exploring the nuances of gully cricket in India through the lens of local stars Gethu and Anbu. The all-rounder, in his post on Sunday, termed the film to be 'real' and credited its director and crew for the genuine portrayal of characters on screen.

Hyderabad: India's all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin took to X on Monday and penned an endearing post on Tamil sports drama 'Lubber Pandhu', revealing it struck a 'special chord' for him. Set against the rural backdrop, 'Lubber Pandhu' explores gully cricket stars Gethu and Anbu's intense rivalry.

Ashwin's post said, "Ok this is about a movie: Movie making is a serious business and it involves so much hard work and creativity, hence I largely look at the positives in any movie and speak very little about the negatives."

Acknowledging that filmmaking requires passionate story-telling combined with an understanding of commerce, Ashwin claims to look at the brighter side of the industry and delve less into the dark sides of moviemaking.

The post further says: But, today I can’t resist but mention that I enjoyed a movie after years and it’s a lesson on how authentic a movie can be made beyond just about the cliches that have been followed in recent sports films.

The sheer joy of watching a movie and enjoying it after a long time is reflected in his post. He also lauds the film for its ability to move beyond portraying just the cliches, which is a common trait in recent sports films, claimed the right-arm off-spin bowler.

To end with, the post brilliantly thanked the makers of the film: Tamil movies based on cricket often tend to deviate from the core and deliver what they wish to convey and that’s exactly why “Lubber Pandhu” struck a special chord for me. It was so authentic, so real and not even one character in the movie looked like they were searching or found wanting. Brilliant from the director and his entire crew. Special mention to @iamharishkalyan Gethu Dinesh, Sanjana, Swasika, Kaali Venkat and Bala.👏👏👏

Ashwin thanked the director and his crew for making what he termed an 'authentic' and 'real' movie. He also said that it struck a special cord because of this genuine portrayal of characters on screen.

Netizens were quick to take to the comments section and fill it with their wit, humour and love. One user jokingly wrote: Such a detailed review! ❤️🔥👌🏻 @ashwinravii99- Brother, I have a quick question for you: In our Indian team who is ANBU & who is GETHU?

Another fan wrote: Yes... This is exactly the type of movie we've been longing for.. a refreshing change from gunshots and action with a neat n simple narrative... Tamil audience deserves more films like this.....@tamizh018 🙏🏻 @iamharishkalyann💥

Praising Ashwin's movie-reviewing skills, a netizen commented in a lighter tone: "Ashwin becomes a movie critic now. Allrounder for a reason!" while another wrote: "I would love if Ashwin reviews a new Hindi movie on his Hindi yt channel"

Ashwin overtook Anil Kumble on September 21 to collect the most wickets for India during the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. He had an economy rate of 4.20 at the end of the third day's play, taking three wickets for 63 runs in 15 overs.

In the game's longest format, Ashwin also made history as the first cricketer to have scored 20-plus fifty-plus scores along with 30-plus five-wicket hauls. Thus, in the 147-year history of Test cricket, he is the first player to accomplish the feat. The spinner is now in a tie with West Indies legend Courtney Walsh to become the eighth-highest wicket-taker in Tests.