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WOMEN LEAD THE SPORTS BIOPIC BRIGADE
Biopics on male athletes have had their place under the sun; now sportswomen take the centre stage
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Azhar, MS Dhoni-The Untold Story, Paan Singh Tomar — the common link these films share, apart from being biopics, is that all were based on the life of male sportspersons. Bollywood’s fascination with biopics itself might have been something which has picked up pace only in the last few years, but a glaring omission till now had been films based on female sportspersons.
Barring Mary Kom, the only other popular example remains Dangal, which narrated the story of Mahavir Singh Phogat’s daughters, Babita and Gita, who are trained by Mahavir to become world-class wrestlers, winning big at the Commonwealth Games.
However, things have changed. Ever since womenled films such as Hichki, Raazi and Veere Di Wedding have done well at the box office, there has been a spurt in the number of biopics on female sportspersons. Shraddha Kapoor will be seen portraying badminton ace Saina Nehwal, while Jacqueline Fernandez is rumoured to be playing Indian cyclist Deborah Harold in a film. Films have also been announced on cricketer Jhulan Goswami, tennis ace Sania Mirza and badminton champion PV Sindhu.
Trade expert Komal Nahta feels that it’s all been quite a recent change. “Till recently, women-oriented films, whether biopics or nonbiopics, were dangerous propositions from the business point of view. People felt it should be a hero-driven film, otherwise audiences won’t come. Things have been changing in the last 8-10 years, and that is why womenoriented subjects and biopics are being made.”
Since it’s a sports biopic, the actors have to prepare for it accordingly. “I have been prepping up for it (the biopic), which includes reading and also practising badminton to get her postures correct,” said Shraddha, in an earlier interview when asked about the Saina biopic.
Mary Kom, which released in 2014, starred Priyanka Chopra, and traced Kom’s journey of becoming a boxer to her victory at the 2008 World Boxing Championships. Director Omung Kumar says, “Biopics are the new genre that people are taking up. Everyone has got new storytelling techniques. People could have done it five years ago also, but nobody took the first step. We became successful, then it slowly tarted. Hum love stories itne aal se bana rahe hai, so this is new avenue for directors and ctors. Sports films are based n heroes you look up to.” Nahta says set notions of hat audiences want are why w people dared to take the st step. “Heroine-oriented bjects mein it was thought maza nahi aayega’, but the audience has also become more aware and evolved. Therefore, they don’t mind watching a film, provided the content is good,” he explains.
Trade expert Atul Mohan says, “Sports in India has always been popular. The times are changing, and it’s good. More power to girls and women who have brought more glory to the nation. This has been a positive change.”