Actor Pankaj Tripathi has boarded the cast of Ranveer Singh-starrer "83". The sports drama, to be directed by Kabir Khan, will chronicle India's win under Kapil's captainship, when the Men in Blue defeated West Indies in the final to clinch their first-ever World Cup trophy in 1983.
Ranveer is playing cricket legend Kapil dev in the film. Pankaj will take on the role of former team India manager PR Man Singh.
Pankaj was sold by the script of the film and he said its reading session was an emotional journey for him.
"It was an emotional ride for me while going through the script. At some of the places I was in tears. I am really inspired with the whole journey of Kapil Dev. From when I heard the script, I was certain that I wanted to be a part of this film," the actor said in a statement.
Pankaj said he is an admirer of Kabir's work, including his early documentary films.
"He was always in my wish list of directors to work with someday and also Ranveer Singh is one of the factors that I chose to sign the film," he added.
The actor recalled his past collaboration with Ranveer for 2014 "Gunday" where he played "a small part".
"Since then, we have kept in touch through some of our common friends. We have a mutual admiration for each other's work. By Gods grace, I have gotten an opportunity to work with both Kabir and Ranveer simultaneously in the same film - '83'," he said.
The much-awaited film will release on April 10, 2020. "83" is produced by Madhu Mantena, Vishnu Induri and Khan, and presented by Reliance Entertainment.