Centurion, Nov 27 (bdnews24.com) – Hansie Cronje, star cricketer, captain and all round sportsman, was tragically killed at the age of 32 in a plane crash six years ago, but he is still alive in a movie titled 'Hansie - a true story' produced, directed and scripted by his older brother Frans Cronje.
Once voted as the 11th greatest South African citizen, Hansie's rise and fall is chronicled in the film, which details the notorious match-fixing controversy and subsequent life-ban from cricket, with his death still mourned as a tragedy of the cricketing world.
'Hansie' hit the screens in South Africa on Sept 24, receiving a huge box-office response from fans who still remember their hero.
The film, which includes interviews of Hansie's former teammates Allan Donald, Gray Kirsten, Jonty Rhods, Shaun Pollock, Peter Pollock and Andrew Hudson, was shot in India, England, Australia and South Africa.
Frans Cronje, himself a former cricketer playing in 56 first class matches, now owns a Cape Town-based production house named 'Global Creative Studio".
Before the release of the film, Frans said that there were many reasons for making the film "particularly there are lessons to be learned from Hansie's life". He hoped that people would see his brother's mistakes and successes in a positive light.
During his tour with the Bangladesh national cricket team in South Africa, bdnews24.com sports correspondent Masud Parvez, interviewed Frans Cronje on his experiences while making a film so close to his heart.
Question (Q): What prompted you to make this movie on your younger brother?
Answer (A): I always told Hansie we should tell his story to the world so that others can learn from it. His response was always that you can't tell a story until it's finished and therefore, when he passed away, I knew the time was right to tell that story. I am a film producer and it was a privilege to be in a position to tell my own brother's story as well. Our previous movie 'Faith like potatoes' was also a true story and has been a big success.
Q: What was the most emotional moment during the shooting of this movie?
A: I invited my parents to the funeral scene that was shot at Grey College in Bloemfontein and that obviously was very emotional for them and me. But the most emotional scene for me was when we did the scene at the King Commission where Hansie breaks down and walks out of the room. My dad, Hansie's bodyguard and I followed him into a small room where he just collapsed on the floor, crying. My dad took him in his arms and we all were in tears and I could remember that day very clearly. While we shot this scene, the emotions were so real that all the crew members had tears in their eyes!
Q: Some critics says there are a few mistakes in the movie like a 1994 Lord's match showed as a World Cup match. How would you justify those mistakes?
A: In a film you only have 2 hours to tell a story and therefore you have to combine some of the events into one and still keep as close to the truth as possible. We did the same with the Indian bookies - we've created fictitious characters and combined some of them to save screen time, but still included as many real events that happened and that are relevant to Hansie's story.
Q: When did you last meet Hanise before he died? And how was the conversation between you and him?
A: Two weeks before he died, I had lunch with him in Pretoria, South Africa. We had such a good time and it was great for me to see that the old Hansie was back!
Q: You must have some sweet childhood memories with Hansie. Please tell me those.
A: Yes, there are so many good memories, but the greatest of these was just playing cricket in the garden with Hansie, Alan Donald, Nicky Boje and my sister, Hester.
Q: How have South African people taken this movie and what feedback have you got?
A: The response from the public is fantastic! We're overwhelmed with all the emails and phone calls of how the movie has changed people's lives - from the youngest cricket player to the oldest Hansie supporter! This is a story of grace, and people can associate with Hansie's story.
We all make mistakes, but what is important is how we stand up afterwards and correct the mistakes. The movie shows how Hansie rebuilt his life. The movie will be released in the sub-continent, including Bangladesh soon.
We have included over 7 and a half hours of material on the two-disc DVD collectors edition. Included in that is a four hour documentary about Hansie that features interviews with over 65 people that knew my brother.
These people included family, friends, his schoolmaster and coach Mr Johan Volsteedt, Jonty Rhodes, Peter Pollock, Sean Ppollock, Dr Ali Bacher and even some Indian bookmaker experts.
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