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Cinema is one of the most powerful forces in the world, having the ability to unite people as few other things do. But if there is one thing that manages to surpass even cinema, that thing is sport. Combine sports and cinema and it seems you have a winning hand to deal. Indian cinema is no exception, focusing on various sports.
The most famous Indian sports movies of the 2010s have let go of the famous passion for cricket and instead presented other international sports that weren’t as popular in India, and still managed to make a profit. Athlete-driven movies and biopics have been all the rage this decade so let’s take a look at some of them.
Lahore (2010)
“Lahore” was released on March 19, 2010, and was directed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, while Warner Bros. Pictures handled the distribution rights. It’s a very loose remake of the martial arts film “Best of the Best” (1989) with Eric Roberts and James Earl Jones.
Aanaahad and Shraddha Das were the leads for the movie, both being then newcomers to the industry, while already established stars like Farooq Shaikh, Nafisa Ali, and Nirmal Pandey also star. The film tells the story of a cricketer turned kickboxer in order to avenge the death of his brother.
While the reception of the film from the audience was mixed, it still won a prize at the National Film Awards in the category for Best New Director. If all this quarantine has started to take its toll on you and you’re craving activity, dreaming of becoming a kickboxer, the top models to consider are Jaideep Singh and Midhun Jith.
Jersey (2019)
Considered one of the best Telugu films in recent years, “Jersey” tells the story of Arjun (as played by Nani) who, at 36 years old, is an ex-Ranji batsman who doesn’t manage to score the success he dreams of. Despite this, he keeps his positivity and decides to join the Indian cricket team.
Nani proves to be equally good as the batsman who knows he’s got talent, as he is as the man who, despite life’s hardships, refuses to give up. The film also portrays the relationship between a father and a son really beautifully, which makes it a movie that you just have to see.
Dangal (2016)
This blockbuster that stars Aamir Khan in yet another top-notch performance from this legendary actor sets the bar for films revolving around sports. That comes not only from the performance that Aamir Khan gives but also from the performance of the entire cast, that keeps you glued to the screen for hours.
The film is a biopic and it tells the story of Mahavir Singh Phogat who, despite the social controversy, chooses to train his girls for the Commonwealth Games, the now-famous Phogat sisters. You will notice different social issues being presented in the film by using the world of sports as a backdrop.
The only real downside of the film is that it chose to focus on Mahavir Singh Photat’s story, whose role in real-life events are blown out of proportions, which cuts the screen time of the Phogat sisters. As a result, this movie is entertaining and captivating, but it doesn’t do justice to the real-life story of the sisters.
Notable mentions are: “1983” (2014), “Budhia Singh” (2016), “Mary Kom” (2014), “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story” (2016), and “Saala Khadoos” (2016), all of them delivering the performances, songs, and thrills that make a film not good, but truly great and memorable for generations to come!
