M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)
Movie · 2016 · Drama · 3h 10m · HI
Curator score: 5.7/10 (19K ratings)
Tagline: The Man You Know... The Journey You Don't
Based on the life story of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and his journey to being the world cup winning captain of the Indian cricket team.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 5.7/10
- Letterboxd: 3.57/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
- TMDB: 7.2/10
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Production: Fox Star Studios, Inspired Entertainments, Friday Filmworks
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Anupam Kher, Disha Patani, Kiara Advani, Rajesh Sharma, Kumud Mishra, Neetha Mohindra, Bhumika Chawla, Mithu Chakrabarty, Shantilal Mukherjee, Kali Prasad Mukherjee, Kranti Prakash Jha, Ravindra Mankani, Kiran More, Herry Tangiri, Rajendra Chawla, Monika Mundu, Alok Pandey, Sarvadaman D. Banerjee, Mukesh Bhatt
Curator Review
Verdict: An emotionally straightforward, crowd-pleasing sports biopic that works best as a tribute to Dhoni’s rise, temperament, and mythic finishing moments. It smooths over controversy and complexity, but delivers enough energy, performance, and payoff to satisfy fans of inspirational underdog stories and cricket drama.
Best for: cricket fans; viewers who enjoy inspirational sports biopics; fans of performance-driven star vehicles; audiences looking for an emotional, accessible crowd-pleaser
Skip if: you want a hard-edged or deeply investigative biopic; you dislike sentimental, fan-service-heavy storytelling; you need a film that fully interrogates the subject’s controversies; you are not interested in cricket or Indian sports culture
Overview: M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story is built as a tribute first and a biography second. It traces the arc from small-town beginnings to national icon status with a clean, accessible structure that keeps the momentum moving even when the film simplifies the messier parts of the real story.
Worth noting: The biggest asset is the central performance, which gives Dhoni’s calm, reserved persona a believable screen life. The film understands the emotional grammar of sports fandom: anticipation, pressure, release, and the collective memory of a defining victory. That makes it easy to watch, especially if you already care about cricket.
Bottom line: It is also a very polished mainstream biopic, with songs, pacing, and match-day payoff designed for maximum uplift. If you want nuance, it can feel cautious; if you want a rousing, polished star-and-sport package, it lands exactly where it aims to.
Top Letterboxd reviews:
- Michael James: Watched it on 25th.. 2+5=7.. Thala for a reason 💛Athu thaane… Athe thaan.. ;)
Though the biopic doesn’t get into detailing depths and known controversies, it does deliver what the title promises, a look into the untold stories of MSD, and also does it in a highly enjoyable and entertaining manner. Sushant does a terrific job. Despite of the few duds, it is an exciting fun watch, all the more if you’re his fan.
- Niraj⚡: Thala for a reason 🛐
- Allen Shammi: " 𝘋𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘪 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦. 𝘈 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 ! 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘊𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 28 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 ! "
Fanboy Forever 🖤
- anu 🍉: i would kill to watch this in theatres. LIFE ISN’T FAIR
- athul: One of the best biopics ever made.
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- Dangal (2016 · Drama, Family, Comedy · 2h 41m · PG · Curator 8.3/10 (328.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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Topics: sports drama, biopic, cricket, inspirational, crowd-pleaser, Indian cinema, 2010s, underdog story, leadership, emotional
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/movie/m-s-dhoni-the-untold-story/388333
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)
Movie · 2016 · Drama · 3h 10m · HI
Curator score: 5.7/10 (19K ratings)
The Man You Know... The Journey You Don't
Overview Based on the life story of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and his journey to being the world cup winning captain of the Indian cricket team.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.57/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
TMDB: 7.2/10
Production Fox Star Studios, Inspired Entertainments, Friday Filmworks
Cast Sushant Singh Rajput, Anupam Kher, Disha Patani, Kiara Advani, Rajesh Sharma, Kumud Mishra, Neetha Mohindra, Bhumika Chawla, Mithu Chakrabarty, Shantilal Mukherjee, Kali Prasad Mukherjee, Kranti Prakash Jha, Ravindra Mankani, Kiran More, Herry Tangiri, Rajendra Chawla, Monika Mundu, Alok Pandey, Sarvadaman D. Banerjee, Mukesh Bhatt
Curator Review
Verdict
An emotionally straightforward, crowd-pleasing sports biopic that works best as a tribute to Dhoni’s rise, temperament, and mythic finishing moments. It smooths over controversy and complexity, but delivers enough energy, performance, and payoff to satisfy fans of inspirational underdog stories and cricket drama.
Best for
cricket fans
viewers who enjoy inspirational sports biopics
fans of performance-driven star vehicles
audiences looking for an emotional, accessible crowd-pleaser
Skip if
you want a hard-edged or deeply investigative biopic
you dislike sentimental, fan-service-heavy storytelling
you need a film that fully interrogates the subject’s controversies
you are not interested in cricket or Indian sports culture
Overview
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story is built as a tribute first and a biography second. It traces the arc from small-town beginnings to national icon status with a clean, accessible structure that keeps the momentum moving even when the film simplifies the messier parts of the real story.
Worth noting
The biggest asset is the central performance, which gives Dhoni’s calm, reserved persona a believable screen life. The film understands the emotional grammar of sports fandom: anticipation, pressure, release, and the collective memory of a defining victory. That makes it easy to watch, especially if you already care about cricket.
Bottom line
It is also a very polished mainstream biopic, with songs, pacing, and match-day payoff designed for maximum uplift. If you want nuance, it can feel cautious; if you want a rousing, polished star-and-sport package, it lands exactly where it aims to.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Michael James (3.5★) · 167 likes
Watched it on 25th.. 2+5=7.. Thala for a reason 💛Athu thaane… Athe thaan.. ;)
Though the biopic doesn’t get into detailing depths and known controversies, it does deliver what the title promises, a look into the untold stories of MSD, and also does it in a highly enjoyable and entertaining manner. Sushant does a terrific job. Despite of the few duds, it is an exciting fun watch, all the more if you’re his fan.
Niraj⚡ · 88 likes
Thala for a reason 🛐
Allen Shammi · 69 likes
" 𝘋𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘪 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦. 𝘈 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 ! 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘊𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 28 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 ! "
Fanboy Forever 🖤
anu 🍉 (5★) · 61 likes
i would kill to watch this in theatres. LIFE ISN’T FAIR
athul (5★) · 47 likes
One of the best biopics ever made.
Recommended similar titles
2001 · Adventure, Drama, History · 3h 53m · PG · Curator 8.4/10 (164.4K ratings)
An iconic Indian sports drama that turns a game into a high-stakes national struggle, with similar crowd-pleasing momentum and emotional payoff.
2007 · Drama · 2h 28m · Curator 6.9/10 (118K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A rousing team-sports drama about leadership, pressure, and redemption, with the same broad inspirational appeal.
2009 · Drama · 2h 9m · PG-13 · Curator 3.6/10 (834.9K ratings)
A polished, mainstream underdog sports drama that emphasizes transformation, belief, and emotional uplift.
2009 · Drama, History · 2h 14m · PG-13 · Curator 4.9/10 (287.8K ratings)
A leadership-driven sports drama about unity, symbolism, and national identity under pressure.
2011 · Drama · 2h 14m · PG-13 · Curator 8.2/10 (1.3M ratings)
For viewers who like sports stories about strategy, pressure, and the quiet psychology behind success.
2019 · Drama, Action, History · 2h 33m · PG-13 · Curator 8.4/10 (1.5M ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A sleek, high-energy competition drama that balances technical craft with crowd-pleasing momentum.
2010 · Drama · 1h 56m · R · Curator 7.6/10 (688.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A gritty rise-to-success story with family tension, discipline, and a strong performance-centered appeal.
1976 · Drama · 2h · PG · Curator 8.4/10 (1.6M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
The classic underdog template: perseverance, identity, and the emotional thrill of proving yourself on a big stage.
2013 · History, Drama · 3h 6m · Curator 7.2/10 (94K ratings)
A major Indian sports biopic that combines personal struggle, discipline, and national hero-making.
2016 · Drama, Family, Comedy · 2h 41m · PG · Curator 8.3/10 (328.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A hugely popular Indian sports drama about training, sacrifice, and competitive triumph, with similar mainstream reach.
2012 · Crime, Drama · 2h 15m · Curator 8.8/10 (40K ratings)
A more rugged Indian biopic that shows how public legend and personal hardship can coexist.
2006 · Drama · 1h 57m · PG-13 · Curator 7.3/10 (1.6M ratings)
For audiences drawn to perseverance stories that turn struggle into emotional catharsis.
Topics
sports drama, biopic, cricket, inspirational, crowd-pleaser, Indian cinema, 2010s, underdog story, leadership, emotional
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