Who would dare to steal Sachin Tendulkar's Ferrari? Desperate father Rusy would. He's been an upright, honest guy all his life but he's in a spot. His son needs Rs.1,50,000 to fulfil his dream of playing at Lord's. And a Ferrrari fan offers him Rs.2,00,000 if he can get him Tendulkar's red beauty to drive for a few hours. And thereby hangs the tale of “Ferrari ki Sawaari”.

This is going to be one of those determinedly heart-warming films not merely because of the storyline but because it is directed by Rajesh Mapuskar, who was associate director on “3 Idiots” and “Lage Raho Munnabhai”. And the dialogue has been written by the great man himself, Rajkumar Hirani. We don't need to tell you it will be filled with funny, hilarious, bitter-sweet, inspiring and, of course, heart-warming moments. But it will be all clean, clever and well-written.

What else can you look forward to? Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra is playing many guessing games with this movie. First, he's being very cagey about his cast; the official website only lists “Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and others”. (Boman Irani plays the boy's grumpy grandfather). The young Sachin look alike who plays the cricket-crazy son has been kept under wraps.

A cameo by Tendulkar is being talked about, but not confirmed. However, the car used is the cricketer's (now bought by Surat businessman Jayesh Desai) and Tendulkar has given his approval to the use of his name in the film.

Two attractions have been confirmed: Some scenes have been shot at Lord's, and Vidya Balan is doing an item song in full-blown Maharashtrian lavani style (you might have already caught it playing colourfully on TV).

Sports films tend to send you home with a warm fuzzy feeling; they make a wonderful escape from the glam-sham of your regular Bollywood entertainer. This movie, which should be in the “Munnabhai” and “3 Idiots mould”, will take you into a world where the meek inherit the earth and the upright triumph at the end. It has the right pedigree. And relief! you won't need to cringe if you take your kids along. If at all it might err, it would be on the side of saccharine. It's a risk well worth taking.

Ferrari ki Sawaari

Cast: Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and others

Director: Rajesh Mapuskar

Releases: June 15