- Date of Release: 15 January 2022
- Genre: Documentary, Sports
- Language: English
- Watch On: Amazon Prime Video
Shane
RATING
Introduction
It was on a late evening on friday when I got a devastating piece of news. Australian Legend Shane Warne was no more. I was numb for about 5 minutes before gathering myself together. I had to actually reconfirm on the news just to ensure that it wasn’t fake. Alas! It wasn’t. A cricketer whom I had admired while growing up simply for his competitiveness to begin with, only to realise later on the amount of skill that he possessed with the ball, was finally not around. It was truly a black friday as a part of my childhood went with him. And so as a part of paying homage to the Aussie legend whonwas fondly known as ‘Hollywood’, I decided to watch and relive some of his life events in his newly released documenrary – ‘Shane’. The rating here is biased but this is more of a homage more than anything else to arguably the best wrist spinner to have played the game.
Story & Screenplay
Shane is a 96 minute documentary which traces the life of Shane Warne from his early playing days to his ultimate retirement from the game. It was fascinating to witness his journey which started in Sydney where he was taken to the cleaners to ultimately emerging as the second highest wicket taker of all time in tests behind the great Muttiah Muralidharan. The documentary also touches upon his personal life involving his dynamics with his immediate family which made me tremble a bit considering the amount of grief which they would be going through currently. Another interesting and inspiring bit was the amount of mental toughness which he had acquired which made him sail through some of the most harsh crowds and situations in life. An absolute fighter!
Impact
When this documentary had released about a couple of months back, I had decided to watch it leisurely while reliving my childhood which comprised of some competitive cricket being played. But seldom did I know that my hands are trembling as I am penning this homage with a heavy heart. While the documentary is an inspiring one which celebrates the greatness and legacy of a champion spinner, it just leaves a sense of grief and sadness to it due to the unfortunate turn of events.
My Take
It was in the 90s when I had my first brush of cricket due to my grandfather. Right from playing cricket with him to starting to watch and understand the game which was cerebral yet absolutely thrilling. It was then that I was introduced to greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne(to name a few) and their rivalries on the field. The sheer competitiveness between the players was infectious which is somehow lacking today. While my loyalties did lay with my Team, there were a bunch of players who were intimidating opponents who guaranteed a mouth watering contest. One of them was the great Shane who may have inspired so many kids and budding cricketers. Infact one of the earliest bowling actions which I had imitated was of Shane Warne. The gentle runup followed by an absolute twirl of the shoulder to give the ball a rip was one of the many beautiful sights in world cricket. I really wish to watch him someday, perhaps in a different world, a different setting where his sheer competitiveness will have me glued to my screen, chewing my nails every now and then. But till then this is a rude wake up call that I am way past my childhood and that life isn’t what it used to be. But through this writeup this is my homage to perhaps the greatest wrist spinner to have played the game. And his legacy will stay on for times to come. Until next time King…..Until Next Time!
Conclusion
Shane is a documentary celebrating the greatness of a legendary wrist spinner Shane Warne. This ain’t an out and out review but more of a homage. Available on BMS Stream in India and On Amazon Prime elsewhere and Highly Highly Recommended.