DHONI FOREVER: MS Dhoni podcast bound to send fans into a tizzy

If fandom and the legend status needed another layer of intrigue, Thala MS Dhoni has provided it. On Thursday, the former India skipper and evergreen star of Chennai Super Kings was seen in a podcast clip with well-known anchor Raj Shamani. Raj is well known for how he can engage with his guests and for Dhoni to say ‘yes’ is a big deal.

For those who have attended MS Dhoni’s press conferences when he was the India captain, there was a certain calmness in what he said. Each leader has his style of communication and Dhoni was very careful. He was frank and forthright but always ensured he was not going to say anything sensational. This writer was fortunate to attend Dhoni’s press conference at the Eden Gardens in November 2013, on the eve of Sachin Tendulkar’s 199^th Test match. Sachin’s retirement had become so big an event, the BCCI arranged a two-Test series with the West Indies. Dhoni knew the ‘regulars’ in the cricketing media circles, though, for me it was a first of sorts. What struck was how Dhoni was to the point and spoke frankly.

Well past his days of being an active cricketer in the sense of playing for India, Dhoni’s aura, appeal and amazing brand value and power still peaks. So, for him to feature in podcasts is something he would have agreed to after great persuasion. We live in an age where fandom has reached crazy heights. There are fans willing to scale barbed wire fences, break the police cordon, unmindful of the consequences under the IPC (Indian Penal Code). Yet, the fan in Kolkata who touched Virat Kohli’s feet the other day at the Eden Gardens was not crazy. He has worshipped Kohli and this was his way of thanking His God, Kohli.

In Guwahati, there was more such incident in store on Wednesday night, when a fan went and touched the feet of Riyan Parag, the Rajasthan Royals stand-in captain. One can accept Kohli being a superstar, a legend, an icon, who is admired, but the same respect and love for Riyan is crazy stuff. This just goes to show how cricket in India is not a craze but a religion.

Social media feeds on these legends, so Dhoni about to do a podcast has become massive. It’s like a blockbuster Rajnikanth movie release in Tamil Nadu, though the thespian does very few movies now. Dhoni is no less popular in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Dare say a word against Dhoni, there will be a war on the streets. Tamil Nadu has embraced fandom and celebrities all along, from the good old days of MGR and Sivaji Ganesan movies before Kamala Haasan and Rajnikanth became larger than life.

So, the same love for Dhoni, who plays cricket in the IPL just for two months a year. The other day, Dhoni said he would be playing for CSK even if he had to be lifted from a wheelchair. Chennai will never allow Dhoni to fall sick or ill. They will knock at the doors of every religious institution to pray for him. That is the kind of mass hysteria MS Dhoni generates even today. So, one can well imagine, how the podcast from Dhoni will be received, fans glued to phones and hearing what he says.

For sure, he has started opening up on a few topics which he had avoided in the past. He is today a rage in the interviews promoted by STAR Sports. Sample this, Kohli versus Dhoni, that is the poster for the RCB versus CSK match, even though both are no longer captains, just mentors. This kind of mass hysteria for Dhoni will reach a crescendo. The star power will be unleashed and what he says will be gospel. Imagine, at 43, he has so many stories to tell the world. So what if it is from the past, he still exists in one form of cricket – the IPL.