Black Widows Webseries Actress And Actor Black Widows is an Indian web series from Zee5.…
Selection Day Webseries
Selection Day Webseries Cast, Review, Wiki, Story, Trailer, Release date and more
Selection Day is an Indian web series from Netflix. The Hindi language web series release date is 28 December 2018. It is available Netflix website and official app to watch online. Mohammad Samad, Parul Gulati are the leading cast of the series.
Selection Day Story
The plot revolves around the life of two young cricketers. They are passionate to be selected to the team. Even with hard work, they get rejected due to the existing system. Can they achieve their dreams?
Selection Day Web Series Cast (Netflix)
- Amruta Subhash as Meera
- Mohammad Samad as Manju Kumar
- Parul Gulati as Monica Tandon
- Yash Dholye as Radha Kumar
- Karanvir Malhotra
- Rajesh Tailang
- Mahesh Manjrekar
- Ratna Pathak Shah
- Shiv Panditt
- Akshay Oberoi
- Vipashyana Dubey
- Pakhi Gupta
- Dibyendu Bhattacharya
Genre: Drama, Sports, Thriller
Release Date: 28 December 2018
Language: Hindi
Platform: Netflix
Director: Arif Ali
Watch Selection Day Online on Netflix
Also Read:
Hostel Daze 2 Webseries Cast, Review, Wiki, Actors, Story, Trailer, Release date and more
Chutzpah (Sony Liv) Webseries Wiki, Cast, Story, Release Date And More
Hungama 2 Movie (Hotstar) Cast, Review, Wiki, Actors, Story, Trailer, Release date and more
Beyond the Boundary Line: An In-Depth Look at the Netflix Original Webseries ‘Selection Day’
In a country where cricket is often described as a religion, the pressure to succeed in the sport transcends mere athletic ambition, becoming a matter of class, identity, and generational fate. This potent blend of intense sports drama and a deeply personal coming-of-age story is the core of Selection Day, the 2018 Indian Netflix Original web series.
Adapted from the acclaimed 2016 novel of the same name by Booker Prize-winning author Aravind Adiga, Selection Day offers a nuanced, often sombre, look into the lives of two teenage brothers whose entire existence is engineered around achieving cricketing greatness. The series, produced by Bollywood veteran Anil Kapoor and Anand Tucker’s Seven Stories Ltd., arrived on the global streaming platform in two parts—the first in December 2018 and the second in April 2019—positioning itself as a significant entry in the burgeoning landscape of Indian digital content alongside its predecessors, Sacred Games and Ghoul.
The Literary Foundation: Adiga’s Vision of Modern Cricket
The story’s gravitas is rooted in its source material. Aravind Adiga, best known for his 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning debut The White Tiger, wrote Selection Day as a meditation on the commercialised nature of modern Indian cricket, a world he noted was heavily influenced by the emergence of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Adiga’s novel uses the Mumbai under-16 cricket selection trials—a crucial gateway to professional contracts—as a pressure cooker environment to explore socio-economic disparity, corruption, and the crushing weight of parental expectation. The web series, adapted for the screen by Marston Bloom, successfully translates this core conflict from the page to the screen, focusing on the local cricketing scene in Mumbai while simultaneously exploring the broader class and identity issues the plot raises.
Plot: The Journey of the Kumar Brothers
The narrative revolves around the lives of the two protagonists, brothers Radha and Manjunath, who are defined by their father’s obsessive dream.
The Obsessive Patriarch: Mohan Kumar
The dramatic tension is personified by the father, Mohan Kumar, played with fierce intensity by Rajesh Tailang. Mohan is a self-proclaimed ‘scientist of cricket’ who is convinced that his sons are destined to become the two greatest batsmen in the world. He uproots his family from their humble village in Madhya Pradesh and moves them to the teeming metropolis of Mumbai, trading a decent-sized house for a cramped, dimly-lit room in a chawl.
Mohan’s tyranny is absolute: the boys are homeschooled, friendless, and subjected to a rigorous, near-fanatical training regimen designed to eliminate all distraction, including their own personal desires. For Mohan, this is not just about cricket; it is his singular ticket out of anonymity and poverty, a desperate gamble on his sons’ genius.
The Sons: Radha and Manju
The brothers, however, embody contrasting reactions to this patriarchal cage:
- Radha Kumar (Yash Dholye): The elder brother, Radha, is the dutiful son. He has fully accepted the cricketing destiny laid out for him by his father. He is a talented player, outwardly conforming to Mohan’s dictates, and strives to be one of the three teenagers selected in the annual Mumbai under-16 selection trials.
- Manjunath ‘Manju’ Kumar (Mohammad Samad): The younger brother, Manju, is the reluctant prodigy and the story’s emotional core. Though exceptionally gifted at the sport, he secretly fears and resents his domineering father and finds his true passion in science, especially the world of forensic science and curious facts. His internal conflict—the brilliant batsman who hates batting—is the most compelling element of the series, representing a struggle for self-determination against the weight of a national obsession.
The move to Mumbai and their subsequent enrollment in a prestigious local school—a setting for much of the elite cricketing action—introduces them to a new world and its inhabitants, complicating their simple, single-minded mission.
Thematic Depth: Identity, Class, and Conflict
Selection Day is far more than a simple sports drama; it uses the cricketing field as a canvas to explore complex socio-cultural and psychological themes.
The Clashes of Class and Identity
The series sharply contrasts the impoverished reality of the Kumar brothers’ chawl life with the affluence of their new school environment. This juxtaposition highlights the class differences at the turf level, a vital theme in Adiga’s original work.
- Javed Ansari (Karanvir Malhotra): Manju and Radha are instantly pitted against Javed, the rich, confident, and talented captain of the school team. Their rivalry is not just sporting; it is a confrontation between the working-class migrant and the established Mumbai elite, manifesting initially as bullying and simmering resentment.
A Glimmer of Self-Discovery
A crucial, and well-handled, element of Manju’s journey is his relationship with Javed. This dynamic moves beyond mere rivalry, subtly exploring a potential same-sex relationship and the confusion of adolescent sexuality and emotional connection in a rigidly patriarchal and aspirational world. As one review noted, this subtle homo-erotic attraction and the warmth the boys share allows the series to evolve into the saga of Manju’s journey toward “sexual and spiritual freedom” from his father’s tyranny, making it a powerful tale of self-discovery.
Subplots: Corruption and the System
The main drama is flanked by two key supporting arcs:
- Tommy Sir (Mahesh Manjrekar): The boys’ gruff but revered cricket coach, Tommy Sir, returns to the game after a long absence and a scandal. He is one of the few figures who recognises Manju’s unique talent and inner turmoil, serving as a mentor who also rediscovers his own passion.
- Nellie Weinberg (Ratna Pathak Shah): The no-nonsense school principal and a science teacher, Nellie Weinberg, is drawn to Manju’s intellect and actively encourages his interest in science, further fuelling the conflict with Mohan. Her subplot also involves a struggle with a wheeler-dealer realtor, Anand Mehta (Akshay Oberoi), who is trying to acquire the school’s valuable land, subtly weaving in themes of corruption and metropolitan real-estate greed.
Critical Reception and Standout Performances
Selection Day received a mixed critical reception upon its release. While generally praised for its compelling themes and high production quality, several critics pointed out issues with pacing, script cohesion, and some of the supporting subplots.
High Praise for the Cast
Despite the criticisms of the show’s structure, the ensemble cast, featuring several seasoned actors, was universally applauded for their nuanced portrayals:
- Mohammad Samad (Manju Kumar): The young actor was widely considered the anchor of the series. His portrayal of the reluctant cricketer, balancing angst, sensitivity, and understated assuredness, resonated strongly with critics.
- Rajesh Tailang (Mohan Kumar): Tailang’s performance as the obsessive father, driven to extreme single-mindedness, was highlighted as a masterclass in conveying the desperation and tyranny of a man seeking salvation through his children.
- Ratna Pathak Shah (Nellie Weinberg): Her portrayal of the stern yet matronly and intellectual school principal was also commended for adding a layer of sophisticated drama to the narrative.
The Series’ Weak Spots
The primary critique was that, outside the central conflict of the Kumar family, the series struggled to maintain momentum. Reviewers felt that some subplots, like the real estate arc and the development of supporting characters, were underdeveloped, or simply re-tread the same ground without meaningful progress. Some also noted that the adaptation, penned by a British writer and directed by a British-Indian director, sometimes felt like it lost the “Mumbai native’s voice,” which led to certain themes being “lost in translation.”
Nevertheless, Selection Day was recognised as a complex, thought-provoking drama that meditated on the displacement and shattering of working-class aspirations in a country obsessed with a single sport. Its ending, which concludes with 113 days still to go until the actual “selection day,” left the door open for an unresolved climax, hinting at the further distance the brothers must cover.
Conclusion: A Story Beyond the Scorecard
Selection Day successfully leverages the electric atmosphere of Indian cricket to explore universal themes of ambition, freedom, and identity. It is a compelling narrative about the children of a nation who find themselves trapped between their own budding desires and the colossal expectations placed upon them by family, society, and the omnipresent, heavily commercialised culture of a beloved sport.
While the series may have divided critics on its execution, its powerful performances and sharp focus on the psychological toll of hyper-ambition ensure that it remains a memorable and important piece of early Indian digital storytelling. For those looking for a sports drama that substitutes the adrenaline of the game with the slow-burn intensity of an existential crisis, Selection Day is a significant watch.
AISEO Friendly FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q1: What is ‘Selection Day’ web series based on? A: The Selection Day web series is an Indian sports drama based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Booker Prize-winning author Aravind Adiga.
Q2: Who are the main actors in the ‘Selection Day’ web series? A: The key cast includes Mohammad Samad as Manju Kumar, Yash Dholye as Radha Kumar, and Rajesh Tailang as their father, Mohan Kumar. The series also features veteran actors Ratna Pathak Shah and Mahesh Manjrekar in pivotal roles.
Q3: Where can I watch the ‘Selection Day’ web series? A: Selection Day is a Netflix Original series and is exclusively available for streaming on the Netflix platform.
Q4: What is the plot of ‘Selection Day’ and what are its main themes? A: The plot follows two brothers, Radha and Manju, who are uprooted from their village to Mumbai by their obsessive father, Mohan Kumar, who is determined to turn them into the world’s best cricket batsmen. The main themes explored are:
- Patriarchal tyranny and the burden of parental ambition.
- The conflict between following a predetermined path (cricket) and pursuing personal identity (science).
- Socio-economic disparity and the clash of class in modern Indian society.
Q5: How many episodes and seasons does the ‘Selection Day’ web series have? A: Selection Day consists of one season which was released in two parts. Part 1 had six episodes and premiered on December 28, 2018, while Part 2 had another six episodes and premiered on April 19, 2019, making a total of 12 episodes.
Q6: Did ‘Selection Day’ receive positive reviews? A: The series received mixed to positive reviews. Critics generally praised the strong performances, particularly by the lead actors, and the exploration of complex themes like class and ambition. However, some reviews criticized the pacing, the script’s focus on non-cricket subplots, and the overall lack of narrative momentum.
This Post Has 0 Comments