Sports have no boundaries and so do arts and entertainment. And when the two meet, it, at times dishes out stuff that not only attracts the attention of viewers, but also leaves an everlasting impact on the mind and soul of the audience.
Off late, sports and sports personalities have caught the fascination of Bollywood, resulting in movies like Bhag Milkha Bhag and Mary Kom. These days Aamir Khan is busy shooting for Dangal, a film on Haryana's wrestling sisters, where Mr Perfectionist is playing their father, while biopic on India’s most successful cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is already on floor with talented Sushant Rajput playing the lead. It’s a journey of a small town boy who is now a heart-throb and leading the Indian cricket team. Sushant even went to Ranchi, where Dhoni was born and brought up, to know more about him and his mannerisms.
Meanwhile, Imran Hashmi is playing the role of Mohd Azharuddin, the former cricket captain who had been mired in controversies during his playing career, in his biopic.
Here we bring before you some of the Bollywood movies which have been inspired by sports and sport stars and have left an impact on the audience.
Mary Kom
A biographical sports film on Indian woman boxer MC Mary Kom, played by Priyanka Chopra, was well received by the audience. The movie is about a girl, who belonged to poor family, and eventually discovered her dream to become a boxer. It shows struggles she had to face to achieve her dream, along with the passion and attitude to become a boxer.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
A movie based on the biography of Milkha Singh popularly known as ‘Flying Sikh’, in which the lead role is played by Farhan Akthar. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a story of a man who was torn apart emotionally by the massacre of his family during partition. He ends up getting a job in the Indian Army where his journey towards becoming a great athlete begins. The story shows the journey of Milkha from a common man to an Olympian.
Chak De India
The movie vaguely based on the life story of Indian goal-keeper Mir Ranjan Negi who was held responsible for India’s defeat to Pakistan in the 1982 Asian games final, took the Bollywood buffs by storm. It wasn’t just a critical acclaimed movie, but also a huge success at box office. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan plays the lead role in which he is shown inspiring a disarraying, undisciplined and divided women’s hockey team to play as a unit and ultimately win the World Cup.
Lagaan
A film that won many national and international awards is a must watch movie for sports lovers. Perfectionist Amir Khan plays the lead role in the movie which focuses on how the villagers play a cricket match with the Britishers to get them exempted from paying the taxes.
Paan Singh Tomar
It’s real life story of an Indian athlete and seven time national steeplechase champion. Irfan Khan plays the lead in the movie which is based on the story of an army man who won gold medal in national games, but circumstances force him to become a bandit. This film won the best feature film and best actor award in National Film award ceremony.
De Dana Dan goal
Starring John Abraham, Arshad Warsi and Bipasha Basu in the lead, it’s the story of South-Asian community in the UK who fights to retain a playground for themselves through the game of football.
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Patiala House
A movie starring Akshay Kumar and Anushka Sharma as the lead shows the problems faced by an Indian to fulfill his dream to play for England as he belongs to a Sikh family. Not only does he face problems from the outside world, he also has to deal with the resistance from his father who warns him with dire consequences if he plays for England.
Hip-hip hurray
This film is first directorial debut of Parkash Jha, released in 1984, starring Raj Kiran and Deepti Naval in the leads. Sandeep Chowdhary (Raj Kiran), a software engineer, takes up a temporary job as a sports instructor at a school in Ranchi. He falls in love with history teacher (Deepti Naval) and further inspires his school’s football to victory.
Boxer
Released in 1984, it is inspired by Hollywood movie ‘Rocky’ of Sylvester Stallone. This Bollywood movie had Mithun Chakraborty, Rati Agnihotri, Sharat Saxena, Danny Denzongpa and Tanuja as leads. Dharma (Danny Denzongpa) fails to realize his dream as a boxer and becomes an alcoholic who doesn’t even take care of his pregnant wife (Tanuja) as well as his son Shankar (Mithun). As Shankar grows, his family circumstances force him to steal and one day he lands into a jail. In jail, he meets a boxing coach who trains him and he finally becomes a sensation in the boxing world.
Victory
The movie released in 2009 starring Harman Baweja and Amrita Rao in the lead roles, revolves around the life of a young lad who wants to become a cricketer and be the part of Indian cricket team. The struggles, the ups and downs he faces to make his dream come true and the transformation that he undergoes is depicted in the story.
By Isha Sharma
Indian Sports News Network
