Set in the 90s, Blue Star follows the story of two rivals of a village who need to put aside their differences with respect to their caste, and join hands for a cricket match against a strong opponent. The story here is refreshing simply because it goes far beyond the sport of cricket which itself is a metaphor for life. Sports dramas are usually tricky given that they follow a fixed trajectory, and it is their predictability that often poses as a challenge to the overall experience. And hence, you need to build a world and throw in some interesting characters which would eventually rise above the predictability and make the drama engaging. That is exactly what is served here in a drama that touches upon the politics of the land with respect to the caste while also imparting an important message of unity over the course of its screenplay that stands at a whopping length of 160 odd minutes but never feels heavy with its runtime. 

The drama is quick to give a quick context to the viewers on being centered around cricket while introducing the two protagonists of the village, two characters from rival groups who have not been on the same page as far as playing the sport at an assigned area is concerned. Amidst a budding love story, you are given context of their animosity that also had an undercurrent of casteism waiting to pop up every single time. The two protagonists having grown up in the hostile environment often do not see eye to eye, something that reaches a crescendo while challenging each other(and their respective teams) for a game of cricket. This until a turn of events prompts them to join hands against a powerful opponent which is a conflict in itself. 

The proceedings are engaging and at no point do the events get preachy or weigh the film down. There is a certain light handedness with which the drama is treated that allows the narrative to consistently make an impact. Yes, cricket as a sport does take centerstage but the underlying layers of caste along with the hierarchy that the village follows with respect to the financial condition of the characters is also nicely highlighted. Cricket as a sport is a great leveller and there is so much to learn from it, one thing that we all could agree with is that it teaches us unity which in context of this film is really important. 

On the little downside, I did feel that the cricket portions could have been fleshed out a little more to give a feeling of watching an actual cricket match. Those portions needed a little more drama although the sequences were indeed exciting. I did feel that the conflicts in the second half were slightly understated but it wasn’t necessarily bad. In fact, the added a subtle flavour to the proceedings that infused it with freshness up until the final act. My criticism about the final act though was that it was a tad too simplistic and the tensions didn’t quite peak, this while the final match itself felt a little abrupt along with an issue with its staging. But overall, the screenplay is quite well written and adds a refreshing spin to the traditional sports drama.