Gentlemen of the game

Two of the world's greatest cricketers are honoured for their passion, courage, talent and integrity

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RITAMMITRA

In October, the Sydney Cricket Ground p layed host to the seven th annual Bradman Gala Dinner, a trul y memorable event that recognises not just cwo of the greatest cricketers of all rime, bur rwo gentlemen who exemp lified the values of integrity, respect, and determination - traits char Sir Donald Bradman brought co the game more successfully than most. Th is yeac, the rec ip ients of the honour were Australia's G l enn McGrath and India's Rahul Dra,Tid.

Each year since 2006, The Bradmao Fo Lmdation has

.., :r 0 8 C: '< honoured a successful past cricket player who brought co the game every otmce of passion ? and courage expected of a Test cricketer, but left pride in the wake ! of humility botl1 on and off the 3' field. 5

Tbe list of past Honourees is few and exclusive - the list reads:

Norm O' Neil, Nei l Harvey and Arthur Morris (who were both in a ttendance on the night, and are also the onl y two surviving members of Bradman's 1948 'lnvinc ib les' ream), Sam Loxton, Bill Brown, Alan Davidson, Dennis Lillee, Sunil Gavaskar, Adam Gilchrist, Rid,ard Hadlee and Bob Simpson.

If it wasn't already rough enough to find more iJJ ustrious company, the 20 12 Bradn1an Honourees managed to raise tl1e bar. Altl1ough Dravid was unable to attend the function because of an illness in the family, he gave his acceptance speech through a familiar voice - former Prime Minister John Howard delivered Dravid's words co an audience packed with paSt cricketing icons, after they had a once-in -a-lifetime opportunity co have drinks on the field and rake a phoco witl, a very rea listic curour of the Don himse lJ.

"l remember tl1e excitement tliat went through Indian cricket when we heard di e news tlur

Bradman had seen Sachin Tendulkar bar on TV and thought he batted like him. It was more than mere approval; ir was as if the great Don had finally passed on his torch Not to an Auss ie or an Englishman or a Wesr Indian. But to one of our own," said Dravid tl1rough Howard.

Ridtie Benaud OBE, tl1e former er :,

Australian captain and now Patron of me Bradman F'oundarion, paid tribute co both, McGrath and Dravid on their achievements.

Benaud is synonymous witl, the Australian su mmer of cricket, and as one of the most respected cricket personalities in history, the praise he reserved for these two p la yers will certainly rank among rneir proudest honours.

Benaud aptly summed up the esteem in which Dra\Tid is held worldv,,ide sa}~ng, " He repre senrs everything that is decent about dtis great game." Benaud also looked back 011 calling Dra vid's debut match at Lo rd's - a debut he shared wid, Sourav Gangulywith gemtine fondness

Jo int Honouree Glenn

McGrath was no less generous in h is praise of Dravid hin1self. "I'm proud to accept tltis alongside Rahul ; ro me he's a guy d1e Austra li an team respec ted more tl1an any other in the wor ld. He's a class player and a top bloke.

There are a lot of memories w ith h im - good and bad, of course o n e rime in KoUrnta be and VVS (Laxman) batted all day," he said.

In Dravid's absence, however, McGratl, was the focus of the 1tight, with tributes being pa id not only to hi s wonderful career - he rook 563 wickers in Test matches and 38 1 i n ODis, retiring as tlJe leading Test match fast bowler o f all time - but a lso to his work in establishing d1e Jane McGrath Foundation, w h ose 78 McGrath Breast Care [ urses now support over 16,000 Australian families. McGrath has also recently taken over from Dennis Lillee's role as the director of MRF's Pace Foundation fast bowling academy in Cheunai, under which howlers like Javagal Srinatb, Zaheer Khan, Brett Lee and Chaminda Vaas have all prospered. Ind eed, even Tendulkar spenr some time at the academy in his younger yeacs, training to become a fast bowler. McGrath's stature in die gan1e as one o f the most respected greats will certa in ly have a significam impact in ltis nurmring of the next generation of fast bowlers

" To srnnd here (at tl1e SCG) it's a.mazing co see w h ere the time goes. I feel privileged and lucky to represent Australia for founeen yeacs. I sciJJ get goosebumps when I walk o u t onto the SCG - it's m y favourite grotmd in the world. To tltink about where l grew up to think I was lucky enough to p lay for Australia for fourteen years alongside guys liJ(e Steve Waugh, Martl1ew Hayden and Gilly," reminisced McGrath in what was a humb le and heartfelt speech.

P lenty of otl1er fast bowling greats were present on tl1e night - 2009 Bradman Joint Honouree, Dennis Lillee, as weU as Ltis partner- in -crime Jeff Thomson formed pact of a world Series

Cricket 'Expert Panel', along with Rick .McCosker and Richie Benaud.

Quizzed by Stuart Clark (who was sci.lJ fresh off tl, e plane from the Sydney Sixers' Champions League triumph in Soutli Africa) and Tin1 Gilbert, tl1e quarter gave some fasc inating insights into the rise of World Series Cricket and the chaJJenges it overcame to c h ange the face of cricket forever.

The players looked back with perhaps bittersweet nostalgia about the tough ti.me tl,ey had as p layers in the face of a regime u nder which players rece ived little pay and relied on en1ploye rs being accommodaring with leave requests, making it imposs ible for players to support their families.

Benaud continu ed to charm with hi s quips - saying Cricket Australia, formerly known as the 'Australian B oard of Control', was named so "for good reason".

Thomson in particular was the crowd favourite, and perhaps with good reason - he bowled some qttick - fire b0tmcers at the late Kerry Packer (all in good humour of course) to prove that he was sciJJ as sharp as a tack. Incredulous at the amount o f money Packer had thrown at the game in order co bring entertainment value t o cricket and professi o nalise the pl ayers, Thomson's selfdeprecating humour and

McCos ker's raw admiration for the West Indian quicks at the tin1eHo lding, Garner, Croft, Robertstypi fied d1e relaxed yet interesting conversation.

Lillee summed up Packer's influence on rhe game with tl1is: "Eve ry single professional c 1:icketer should find Kerry Packer's gra,Te and worship him." And indeed they might - Lillee recalls being paid in the vicinity of $400 a Test match at the rime.

The night was stiU however, mostl y abour the two Honom:ees - and McGrath and Dravid are two of iliose gentlemen in the game's hi sto ry who are, qttite simp ly, in a class of thei.r own.

Aamir Kh~n n~ver ceases to surprise viewers

In Talaash, he does so quite literally. The complex screenplay, succinctly written, interlays smoothly police investigation wit h personal emotiona l turmoil of the characters, making Talaash a nail-biting thriller.

The plot, about a po l ice officer Surjan Singh Shekhawat (Aamir Khan) investigating a high profile case of film star Armaan Kapoor's accidental death, keeps you riveted. Alongside the main plot, one gathers that Shekhawat and his wife Roshn i (Ran i Mukerji), have lost their eightyear-old son Karan in a freak accident in a lake, for which Shekhawat blames himself and l ives in guilt.

His investigations constantly l ead h i m to Kareena Kapoor, a prostitute with a good heart, who acts as the ace informer for Shekhawat. Kareena as Rosy has shades of her earlier Chameli, although she makes a conscious effort to be different. She is effective and convincing, touching your heart with the innate goodness of her character, in spite of h er circumstances.

The mystery shrouding the case unravels gradually in a carefully written tight script, with no lo opholes. The film is entirely unpredictable, not conformi ng to the usual approach to thrillers in Bollywood This one is clearly different and keeps you guessing till the very end

!=ILM: Talaash

The climax brings you to the edge of your seat, but leaves you satiated. As the case unfolds, you get your answers from the characters on celluloid. But clearly, Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar, the scriptwriter duo, give you much more than just that. They take you through a comp lete self-exploratory journey and bri ng you back replete with answers Farhan Akhtar's dialogues in colloquia l parlance are witty and unleash several underlying messages

Ram Sampath gives an apt background score, in keeping with the flavour ofthe film and if anythi ng, only enhances the viewer's experience Music i n the film otherwise is nothing to write home about, but you're definitely not complaining The plot and performances leave no room for frivolities

Rani Mukerji in her de-glam avatar, is true to her character as the distraught mother.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui asTaimur, the lame Man Friday in the brothel doing odd jobs, excels in a superbly written role. Realistic performances and getups of all the characters, add to the ingenuity of the plot.

The cinematography, though simple, captures the essence of Mumbai. The locales of the city are wonderfully depicted, making these a character i n the film rather than a mere backdrop.

Devoid of the usual Bollywood masala and gimmicks, this one is a pure treat. Aamir Khan's fans apart, Ta/aash has the power to grip all cine-goers

Troy Ribeiro

CAST: Aamir Khan , Rani Mukerji,

Kareena Kapoor, Na wazuddin Siddiqui and Shernaz Patel

DIRECTOR: Reema Kagti