We rarely come across lively documentaries which chronicle the actual life and achievements of famous sportspersons. One such rare documentary was Breakpoint on the legendary tennis duo Leander Paes-Mahesh Bhupathi who made the whole India proud with their swashbuckling achievements.
Their rise, their glory, and their separation were being discussed with a lot of interesting inputs from many sources but rather discreetly by both Peas and Bhupathi. Pinpointing one reason behind their separation was like searching for a needle in the haystack. But the documentary reveals the situations, incidents, and circumstances that might have triggered the split.
The family members, the friends, the coaches, and all others who associated with their on-court camaraderie could not find out who are they in their personal life and how they have behaved with each other in private. Though Paes who’s more eloquent than Mahesh, who was very selective and cautious in using his words has thrown some light, that could not lead to any conclusion for exact reasons behind their separation.
The fire, zeal, and unflinching temperament were evident from the words of both Paes and Bhupathi. The real hard work behind their success stories and to know what worked well with their combination in their own words was wonderful to watch.
The secret about the most famous ‘chest bump’ and how it used to allay the fears in them was also explained by Paes at length who believed in igniting the fire in Bhupathi who is an introvert and less expressive on court when compared to the more aggressive nature of Paes on the court.
The edits were quite appropriate and those video garbs, images, and footage especially the Grand Slam Victory have been used very well to reflect the mood and feelings of both Paes and Bhupathi during various matches. The strategy adopted by both to win the French Open was also given due importance which stands as the highlight of the entire series.
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari have done a fabulous job by presenting this gem of a documentary. It’s the editing by Charu Shree Roy that made the whole series quite refreshing with appropriate cuts and mixes.
In addition, the spectacular visuals by Kuldeep Mamania and the enthralling background score by Rohan Vinayak have made this documentary the best in sports documentaries.
Breakpoint gives an in-depth view of two personalities who have rewritten the history of tennis in India by becoming the first Indians to win a Grand Slam.
It’s good to see a sport other than cricket which is considered as the god in the country in its total splendour. It’s a superlative effort to bring a scintillating game like tennis onto the foreground by presenting the most celebrated doubles players the country has seen.
Their childhood days, their career, relationship, the victories, and the differences between Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have been covered at length with stunning footage in this 7-episode documentary which was a must-watch by every sports lover in India irrespective of their likes and dislikes.
Breakpoint is streaming on Zee5 and it is available in English, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil languages.
