Films On Sports – A Changing Trend

MS-Dhoni---Bio-Pic
2016 will see a string of sports-based films hitting the movie theaters in India .

Internet Desk : The year 2016 will see a string of sports-based films hitting the movie theaters in India. Although in Bollywood, sports-based films have never had too many takers. Films like Awwal Number (1990), Stumped (2003), Iqbal(2005), Say Salaam India(2007) has turned out to be disasters at the box office. However the last few years have witnessed a shift, with films  like Lagaan(2001) , Iqbal (2005 ) , Chak de India (2007) , Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) and Mary Kom (2014) hitting the bulls eye. They had a lot of action and drama but the best part about them was that they were inspirational.

Md-Azharuddin---Eemran-Hash
Emraan Hashmi will be playing the role of Md Azharuddin in his bio pic .

Salman Khan will be seen wrestling and trying out mixed martial arts in director Ali Abbas Zafar’s Sultan. Aamir Khan will play ex-wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat in director Nitesh Tiwari’s Dangal, which will portray the struggles Phogat had to face to train his daughters in wrestling.‘Kai Po Che’ actor Sushant Singh Rajput will be playing Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the biopic called ‘M.S. Dhoni’ directed by Neeraj Pandey.

On the other hand, R Madhavan stars in Saala Khadoos (SK), a sports drama revolving around boxing. All of these cinemas will portray a forgotten hero fighting against all odds to defeat the bad guy and lift the cup. Throw in a sub-plot about the hero’s secret love and you have the perfect recipe for a masala flick.

Chak-de-India
Films like Lagaan and Chake de India attracted huge response at box office .

“Sports films are usually about the triumph of an underdog, and they make you feel good. Such movies are happy films.” says film-maker Rajkumar Hirani. However, the producer of SK also added that, “Earlier, film-makers made movies that were considered safe, like love stories, action films, etc. Also, most of the sports-based films that were attempted in the earlier decades didn’t do well, so no one ventured into that territory for many years. Now is a good time as far as the variety in plots is concerned, because film-makers are trying different kinds of stories. I’m glad that more sports films are now being made in India.”

In many ways, the former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin’s life was literally made for the silver-screen. Azhar’s lead role will be played by Emraan Hashmi who is known for his on-screen versatility. It is being directed by Anthony D’Souza. A film on the Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal which will be directed by Amole Gupte is also in the pipeline.  Biopics on personalities like wrestler Gama Pehalwan (to be directed by Parmeet Sethi), footballer Sibdas Bhaduri (to be helmed by Shoojit Sircar), hockey players, Dhyan Chand (to be made by Karan Johar) and Sandeep Singh (to be made by Chitrangda Singh) are being planned too.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh explains that actors want to do more challenging roles. “Despite being a sports-loving nation, unfortunately, we haven’t generously experimented with sports as a theme in our films.” said Adarsh. “ But now, actors want to experiment with fresher themes and sports provide a gripping backdrop. It’s great that some of the best names in Bollywood are starring in these films,” he added.
On the other hand, exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi feels that the success of BMB and MK has “tilted the scales” in the favor of such cinemas. “Since we have been watching these sports or hearing about the sports personalities since childhood, the sheer connect with such films is immediate.” he added.