You probably remember the theater shaking when that final six landed. The 2011 World Cup final, re-created on a massive screen, felt like living through history again. But honestly, MS Dhoni The Untold Story isn't just about cricket. It is a movie about a guy from Ranchi who was told "no" by the world and decided not to listen.
Most people think they know everything about Mahi. We see the "Captain Cool" persona on TV and assume it was always like that. The film tries to peel that back, though it definitely takes some creative liberties that would make a purist's head spin.
The Hefty Price of Silence
Let’s talk money for a second because it’s kind of wild. Reports suggest that MS Dhoni was paid roughly ₹45 crore just for the rights to his life story. That is a massive chunk of the film's ₹104 crore budget.
✨ Don't miss: Work It: Missy Elliott Lyrics and the Genius of That Reversed Verse
Some critics, like those at DAWN, have argued this essentially turned the movie into a "propaganda film." When the subject is getting paid that much, are they really going to show the messy parts? The movie famously ignores the IPL spot-fixing scandal and the drama surrounding Chennai Super Kings. It skips the tension of his Test captaincy struggles too.
It’s a sanitized version. We get the hero, but we don't always get the human.
What the Movie Completely Omitted
- The Brother: You saw his sister, Jayanti, played by Bhumika Chawla. But did you know Dhoni has an elder brother? Narendra Singh Dhoni is a politician in Ranchi, yet he’s nowhere in the film. It's like he doesn't exist.
- The School Days: The film depicts Mahi and Sakshi as strangers meeting at the Taj Bengal. Reality is different. Their fathers worked together at Mecon, and they actually went to the same school in Ranchi.
- The "Decision": That famous moment where Dhoni promotes himself above Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 final? The movie makes it look like his solo epiphany. However, legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have mentioned in interviews that it was actually Sachin who suggested the righty-lefty combination to keep the momentum.
Sushant Singh Rajput’s Obsession
We have to talk about Sushant. He didn't just play Dhoni; he basically became him for a year. It’s heartbreaking to look back on now, but his dedication was on another level.
He practiced the helicopter shot 225 times a day for nine months. Think about that. Most actors would do a few weeks of "cricket camp" and call it a day. Sushant worked with former Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More to nail the stance. He even convinced Dhoni’s childhood coach, Keshav Banerjee, to train him exactly like he trained the real Mahi decades ago.
📖 Related: TV shows with Molly-Mae Hague: What you actually need to watch (and what’s skip-worthy)
There’s a story that when Dhoni first saw a video of Sushant practicing, he actually smiled—which we know is rare for him—and said, "It feels like magic."
Sushant also watched the 2011 winning six over 100 times just to get the facial muscle movements right. He wasn't just hitting a ball; he was matching a heartbeat.
Why MS Dhoni The Untold Story Still Matters in 2026
It’s been a decade since the release, and yet, if you turn on a sports channel in India today, there’s a high chance this movie is playing. Why? Because the "ticket collector to trophy collector" arc is the ultimate Indian dream.
We love the struggle. We love seeing him sitting on that Kharagpur railway platform, looking at the trains and feeling stuck. That scene where he finally decides to run and catch the train out of his old life? That's the moment the movie stops being a sports biopic and becomes a survival story.
Real vs. Reel: The Technical Glitches
| Feature | Movie Version | Real Life Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting Sakshi | Total strangers at a hotel | Families knew each other for years |
| First Brand | Endorsing Lava in 2008 | Lava was founded in 2009 |
| The Hair | Grows 7 inches in 2 months | Natural timeline (obviously) |
| The Training | Taught by friend Santosh | Mostly self-taught with friend's input |
The CGI used to put Sushant’s face on the real 2011 footage was groundbreaking for Bollywood at the time. Sure, it looks a bit "uncanny valley" by 2026 standards, but the emotional weight carries it through.
The Legacy of the "Untold"
The second half of the film definitely drags. The romance tracks with Priyanka (Disha Patani) and Sakshi (Kiara Advani) feel like a typical Bollywood "masala" movie. It loses that gritty, dusty Ranchi vibe that made the first hour so good.
But MS Dhoni The Untold Story succeeded because it captured the "why" behind the man. It showed that Dhoni wasn't a prodigy who had it easy. He was a guy who worked a 9-to-5 job as a TTE, dealt with internal railway politics, and still found time to hit sixes under flickering stadium lights.
If you’re looking to understand the phenomenon of MSD, don’t just look at the stats. Look at the guy who was brave enough to quit a secure government job because he knew he was meant for something bigger.
Next Steps for You:
If you want to see the real-world impact of this story, you should watch the documentary Roar of the Lion. It covers the CSK ban and the 2018 comeback—the "darker" parts of the journey that the 2016 biopic chose to skip. It provides the grit that the movie lacked and completes the picture of India's most complicated captain.