Today the first theatrical trailer of Mary Kom was released, which got us thinking does our audience warm up to sports movies. And the answer is yes. Although the success ratio of this genre is abysmal, audience did lap up a few of the sporting films. Let’s take a look at some Bollywood’s successful sports films.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
It will be a sin not to start the list with this film that raced to victory. Farhan Akhtar’s impeccable and stunning performance made Milkha Singh’s story believable and inspiring. It isn’t surprising to see the film sweep away all awards.
Chak De! India
Shimit Amin and Jaideep Sahni ably supported by Yash Raj Films and Shah Rukh Khan gave India something that we never knew could make for an interesting watch. Instead of the regular Cricket, we had people cheering for women’s hockey team. A beautiful story, starcast and a never seen before Shah Rukh, it had winner written all over it.
Iqbal
A very small film which made cricket it’s theme and the way it is played. With only Naseeruddin Shah as the known face and a very innocent looking debutant Shreyas Talpade rocked the box office.
Paan Singh Tomar
Many would argue it was a biopic showing the turn of an innocent athlete into a dacoit. But it had running race at the heart of it. For the first time, the audience saw the dark side of sports in India and they liked it a lot.
Lagaan
Yes, it’s presence is debatable since it is a fictional account on a cricket match between britishers and villagers in India. But the grandeur and execution made it the most watched film. It was over 3 hours long but nobody cared.
