Venkat Prabhu's The Greatest of All Time, also known as GOAT or The GOAT, has a climax sequence designed to appeal to fans of Thalapathy Vijay, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and particularly MS Dhoni, the IPL legend. Major spoilers ahead – The film features Thalapathy Vijay in dual roles, portraying both father and son, with the son, Jeevan, as the main antagonist. In the third act, Jeevan plans to bomb Chepauk Stadium and frame his biological father, Gandhi, for the attack. ‘The Greatest of All Time’ Movie Review: Thalapathy Vijay Experiments With ‘Shades’ in Venkat Prabhu’s Wildly Faltering Fan-Tribute.

The bomb is set to go off during the IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians (MI) at Chepauk stadium. As Gandhi fights Jeevan, MS Dhoni leads CSK in a thrilling chase of over 200 runs against MI, presumably led by Rohit Sharma, down to the final over. Thalapathy Vijay rides a motorcycle on the roof of the stadium to where his son is trying to attack his daughter, who has the bomb detonator. Just as Thalapathy’s character triumphs over his son, 'Thala' Dhoni also emerges victorious hitting sixes in the final over bowled by Jasprit Bumrah.

However, no actual IPL players appear in the film. Instead, Venkat Prabhu uses footage from real past IPL matches to create the climax.

Many viewers, though, are not convinced by CSK's victory over MI in this cinematic universe, pointing out that such a match never occurred in real life. CSK has beaten MI in an IPL final only once, in 2010, at Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium. The next two finals between these teams were won by MI. Moreover, they have never played a final at Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium. Chepauk has hosted only three IPL finals, with CSK playing in two—winning one in 2011 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and losing the other in 2012 to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). MI has not played any finals at Chepauk. ‘The GOAT’: Did You Know MS Dhoni Made Special Appearance in Thalapathy Vijay’s Action Film? But There’s a Twist!

The film's climax is set in 2024, but in reality, this year's IPL final was held at Chepauk between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, with KKR emerging victorious.

Watch the Trailer of 'GOAT':

Some fans have also pointed out inconsistencies in the stadium settings. The scene showing MS Dhoni walking from the pavilion to the field is actually from Wankhede Stadium, while the shot of Thalapathy Vijay riding a bike on the stadium roof was filmed at Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) stadium, not Chepauk.

Thala and Thalapathy may have won the day in the movie, but on social media, these annoyed fans are having a field day with memes and jokes

How Netizens Reacted to Climax of 'GOAT' With Stats and Loopholes

From Wankhede to Chepauk Via Thiruvanthapuram

'Finally CSK Defeating MI in Finals'

Mumbai Indians Fan Listing Stats

There's Brabourne Stadium Too?

'Fulfilling Dhoni's Dream'

Who Dare Hit Sixes Off Bumrah's Over?

Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad's names are also misspelt in a scene that shows the scoreboard of the match.

Venkat Prabhu is a known cricket enthusiast, having made his directorial debut with the cricket-themed Chennai 600028. However, even he should have anticipated that hardcore cricket fans wouldn't overlook these factual discrepancies. This might be his fan wish fulfillmentand his tribute to MS Dhoni who is revered by CSK fans in Tamil Nadu, but should that come at the cost of MI players?

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 06, 2024 10:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).