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Bollywood sports dramas quit the crease
In the 21st century, Bollywood and cricket have emerged as two powerful aspects of pop culture that are considered nothing less than religion in India. Probably that’s why Hindi films and the ‘gentleman’s game’ always had a strong connect — the result is a number of cricket-based films such as Awwal Number (1990), Lagaan (2001), and MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016). But now, filmmakers seem to be game for a tryst with different sporting disciplines. For starters, Shahid Kapoor is reportedly set to play a boxer in Airlift director Raja Krishna Menon’s next venture. Plus, Mary Kom director Omung Kumar is making a film on rugby, titled Yubi Lakpi. Sairat director Nagraj Manjule is taking up an “inspirational story” revolving around football, titled Jhund. Amitabh Bachchan is believed to be a part of the same film. Recently, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan starred in the wrestling films Dangal and Sultan, respectively. Commenting on the trend, film trade expert Amod Mehra says, “Regardless of the sport, people will always find real-life stories/biopics of sportspersons interesting, because of the kind of struggles and troubles they go through. A large number of viewers are interested in such stories. So, the choice of sport is incidental. In India, cricket is the dominating sport by far, but choosing a different game adds a lot of variety (to the plot). Plus, it gives actors a lot of scope to perform.”
Filmmakers are “more than happy” to see every sport being included in cinema. “A sports film isn’t just about that particular game, but it also showcases the journey of a sportsperson along with an interesting story. A gripping plot is a must, regardless of the sport. If there’s no story and you want to watch a sport, then there are many sports channels,” says Bhushan Kumar, producer of the biopic on badminton champ Saina Nehwal, adding that a “real and entertaining story always makes for a good film”.
Actors “relish such challenges”, as described by Diljit Dosanjh, who portrays hockey player Sandeep Singh in Soorma. He says, “The role has been extremely draining with intense training. It was very tough, since we wanted the physique of an athlete in a very short time.”
Shraddha Kapoor, who will play Saina, has also been training hard. She says, “It’s a huge responsibility on us to make sure that we do a thorough job of presenting her on the big screen. It is a daunting and challenging job.”
For sports stars, what truly matters is authenticity. While champion shooter Abhinav Bindra feels Harshvardhan Kapoor “fits my character perfectly,” Sandeep feels that today’s biggest Bollywood stars wouldn’t have suited his character. “So, I wanted that even if it’s a beginner in Bollywood, he should be able to keep the role as real as possible,” he said recently.
FILMMAKERS NOW SEEM TO BE GAME FOR A TRYST WITH DIFFERENT SPORTING DISCIPLINES. FOR STARTERS, SHAHID KAPOOR IS REPORTEDLY SET TO PLAY A BOXER IN AIRLIFT DIRECTOR RAJA KRISHNA MENON’S NEXT FILM