Bollywood and sports have a long-standing association. The sports stars and teams have always been an inspiration for filmmakers for their eventful achievements on and off the ground. From Lagaan (2001), Chak De! India (2007), Patiala House (2011), Gold (2018), Mukkabaaz (2018) to biopics like Farhan Akhtar's Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Mary Kom (2014), and Dangal (2016) — the stories of these Indian athletes who overcame several obstacles not only won the hearts of the audiences but also made big at the box office. Today, August 29 marks National Sports Day, which is celebrated on the birth anniversary of hockey wizard Dhyan Chand.
We look back at the list of sports-based movies made in Bollywood that highlight the strength of our Indian sportspeople.
Starring Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh in the lead roles, Lagaan was the third Indian film after Mother India and Salaam Bombay to be nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language film. The film tells a fictional story of cricket from 1893 in the colonial British raj of India. Written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, the movie is based on villagers of central India who had to play the game of cricket and win it subsequently against Britishers to get out of the burden of the heavy taxes levied on them. The film has a stellar cast with brilliant performances, which makes the film a beautiful watch.
Chak De! India
Highlighting India's women’s national hockey team for the first time on the big screen, Chak De! India became a national pride in 2007. Inspired by India’s Commonwealth Games victory in 2002, the film explores the fictional story of the team’s coach — played by Shah Rukh Khan — who was previously ostracised from the Indian men's hockey team due to a loss to Pakistan. He forms the strongest Women’s team with players from different states to lead India in the World Cup. The film continues to be a treat to watch.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
The biopic on the legendary late Indian athlete Milkha Singh, also known as the Flying Sikh, is inspired by his book The Race of My Life, written by his daughter. The film was a box office hit with a collection of INR 200 crore. It stars Farhan Akhtar as Milkha Singh, who was a Commonwealth champion and winner in the Asian Games twice under the 400-meter category. The film played a trendsetter for biopic movies in Bollywood. The film is a true inspiration for anyone struggling with motivation.
Dangal
The sports drama stars Aamir Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Sanya Malhotra in the roles of legendary Phogat family wrestlers, Mahavir Singh Phogat, Geeta Phogat, and Babita Kumari respectively. The story with gritty realism illustrates how Mahavir Singh continued to live his dream of winning gold for India after being forced to give up wrestling. His daughters, who were majorly trained by him, went on to become Commonwealth games gold medalists.
Paan Singh Tomar
A more offbeat film than the commercial sports biopic movies, Paan Singh Tomar is a biographical film on the soldier-turned-rebel Paan Singh Tomar. It explores the story of how a gold medalist at the National Games picked weapons against the system. What’s more? Irrfan, who is always a treat to watch on screen, won the Best Actor award at the National Film Awards for his brilliant performance in the movie.
Saala Khadoos
A remake of the Tamil movie Irudhi Suttru, which means Final Round, Saala Khadoos (2016) is a sports film. Starring R Madhavan as a coach and Ritika Singh as the player, the film also has a remake in Telugu called Guru, released in 2017. The film won Ritika Singh the National Award for her performance in the film and three Filmfare Awards for Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress Award.
Mary Kom
Released in 2014, Mary Kom stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas as the biographical character of Indian boxing champion Mary Kom. The film tells the story of the Manipuri boxer who, after winning the Women’s World’s Ameature Boxing Championship, got married and was blessed with twins. She made her comeback in boxing, fighting many battles and achieving many firsts at several boxing world championships.
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story
One of the best cricket players of team India, M S Dhoni’s story is inspirational and Sushant Singh Rajput playing the former team captain’s role to the tee is a delight. Also featuring Kiara Advani as Dhoni’s wife Sakshi Dhoni in the film, the 2016 release tells the untold story of Dhoni. The film was dubbed in three other languages: Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi.