Mumbai

Moved by the performance of Saqib Saleem in '83', the man he plays in the film, 1983 World Cup final Man of the Match, Mohinder 'Jimmy' Amarnath, gifted the young actor the red handkerchief that he always carried with him as his good luck charm.

This happened as soon as the special screening of the film Wednesday night in Mumbai was over.

Mohinder Amarnath, interestingly, plays his father, Lala Amarnath Bharadwaj, the first Indian to score a century in test cricket. Amarnath Sr, whom many remember for his expert comments during the early days of cricket telecasts, also never failed to carry a red handkerchief whenever he would step onto the field or make a public appearance.

Saqib being hugged by Mahinder Amarnath at the special screening of 83

Saqib Saleem has said the film fulfilled his long-standing dream of playing for Team India.

As the Kabir Khan directorial hit the theatres on Friday, the actor took to his Instagram account and shared a video conceptualised and created by himself.

The video strings together Saqib's journey from being a cricket aspirant to becoming an actor who got to portray Amarnath, who was also the vice-captain in 1983, on screen.

The actor wrote in his caption: "Destiny connected the dots when #83 came to me with a chance to live my dream of playing cricket for India. NOTHING beats the pride & gratitude I felt wearing the Indian cricket uniform as #MohinderAmarnath."

Saqib Saleem in '83'

The video, which shows bits of his preparations, some dramatised, some re-shot and some from behind the scenes of making of the film, is a moving imagery of what this film means to the actor.

On Wednesday night, after a special screening in Mumbai, an emotionally charged Amarnath had gifted his trademark good-luck charm -- the red handkerchief that he carried with him wherever he played cricket, a tradition he inherited from his father, Lala Amarnath, the first Indian to score a Test century.

Amarnath, who, incidentally, also plays his father in '83', had coached Saqib during the making of Rohit Dhawan's 2016 film, 'Dishoom', which also starred John Abraham and Varun Dhawan.