M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)

What makes M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story special is how it turns a familiar sports-biopic arc into something that feels lived-in and personal, capturing the grind behind greatness as much as the glory itself. Neeraj Pandey directs with a crowd-pleasing sense of momentum—training rooms, railway platforms, and roaring stadiums all pulse with the same hungry energy—while Sushant Singh Rajput gives a performance that doesn’t just imitate Dhoni, it inhabits him with quiet charisma and stubborn resolve. The film’s vibe is proudly inspirational and big-hearted, swinging from intimate heartbreak to fist-pumping match-day thrills without losing its emotional center. It is undeniably long and unabashedly mainstream, so if you prefer subtle, minimalist dramas it may feel heightened—but if you want a moving, highly watchable underdog journey that earns its cheers, it delivers.

M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story is clearly aiming to be an inspirational, crowd-pleasing sports biopic that turns a real career into a full-on mythic rise, and in that lane it often works. The problem is it’s long and dramatically uneven, with stretches that feel padded or oddly blurry in focus, so the emotional beats don’t always land as cleanly as they’re meant to. If you’re not already invested in Dhoni or cricket, the film can feel like glorification and a highlight reel stitched together rather than a sharply told character study. Still, Sushant Singh Rajput brings sincerity and physical commitment, and when the movie leans into the grit of training and pressure, it delivers the rousing payoff fans came for.