Biopics on Indian cricketers

Starting from The Hurricane to Moneyball and Seabiscuit, from Will Smith’s Ali to Academy Award winner Chariots of Fire, the Hollywood cinematic world is filled with sports dramas of all kinds and it is safe to say the Indian movie industry definitely fell well behind to capitalise on the surge. That said and done, with Bhag Milkha Bhag, Mary Kom, and MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, the Hindi movie industry is on a spree to acknowledge the sportspersons across discipline and it is a welcome change. 

With an IMDB ranking of 7.7, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, written and directed by Neeraj Pandey, is definitely the most popular biopic of all. A story on perhaps the greatest Indian captain ever, it paid rich tribute to the Ranchi neighbourhood and how the reticent boy, grew up in Ranchi’s MECON colony, made himself the most recognised face in the country. Portrayed by Sushant Singh Rajput, and with the lovely addition of effervescent Rajesh Sharma and Anupam Kher and lovely Kiara Advani, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story added charm as any movie would and surely gave its fans some sweet hero-worship moments. The movie, however, lacked the poignancy of telling the tale behind the superstar rather focusing on making him the larger-than-life figure in the small city cauldron of Ranchi. It is a great movie no doubt and surely will stay on with Dhoni fans for a long long time.

Tony D'Souza’s Hindi biographical sports drama film Azhar was inspired from the life of former national team captain Mohammad Azharuddin who faced allegations of match-fixing. Azharuddin, cast by Emraan Hashmi in the movie, had a career of incredible substance and dazzled the stage with his artistry but the low point of his career has to be the match-fixing controversy that saw him being banned by the BCCI for life. The movie seemed like a PR exercise in clearing Azhar’s reputation after the BCCI lifted the ban but it struck a chord how one of India’s greatest and inspirational cricketers suffered many tragic dramas during the course of his life. It is a must-watch.

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Sachin: A Billion Dreams

Although Sachin: A Billion Dreams is not an out and out biopic, the documentary directed by James Erskine and produced under the banners 200 NotOut Productions and Carnival Motion Pictures, was a meaningful celebration of revered Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar's cricket and personal life were shown in a manner that seemed very realistic, with Tendulkar himself narrating the incident. Harsha Bhogle, Gideon Haigh, and Boria Majumdar further narrated some stories, making it a fun exercise. Sachin: A Billion Dreams later won the trophy for the Best Director of a Long Documentary, the Special Award for the Best Film in the Long Documentary section and an honorary diploma at the 11th Tehran International FICTS Festival 2018.

It is an upcoming Bollywood Biopic, starring Tapsee Pannu on the titular role, to celebrate the life and legacy of inimitable Mithali Raj, the women’s cricket run-machine. Meg Lanning, Jodie Fields and Elyssy Perry might have made Australian women’s team the world-beaters, but Raj’s contribution to the women’s cricket parlance goes beyond numbers and as Pannu wrote during the unveiling of the poster, she is truly a game-changer. The Biopic is slated to be released in 2021.