Cricket and Bollywood are the two things Indians are most passionate about. And what better than a platform where they can enjoy the magic of both.
tabloid! brings you 10 Bollywood films that put a new spin on cricket.
Cricket and Bollywood are two things that bind India together with both having millions of faithful followers. So whenever these two powerful worlds of entertainment join hands, it is feast for most Indians.
The success of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) — with Bollywood stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar either owning teams or attending matches to show their support — is testimony to this.
With its singers, dancers (not to forget the cheerleaders) the tournament resembles nothing less then a carnival. To add to this current cricket fever, Jannat, a film about one of the hottest issues in cricket — match-fixing — hits scenes on Thursday.
There is no doubt that Jannat will attract a sizeable combination of cricket and Bollywood fans to the cinema halls. But before the film hits the screens, tabloid! takes a look at the Bollywood cricket films that hit us for six.
Upcoming films
The saga of Bollywood cricket flicks doesn't end here as some more films are scheduled for release in the near future:
Victory starring Harman Baweja with a guest appearance by Indian wicket- keeper and batsman, Dinesh Kartik.
Meerbhai Not Out starring Mandira Bedi. It will have a guest appearance by ace Indian spinner Anil Kumble.
Shoonya, starring Kay Kay Menon and Tulip Joshi, is based on life of a cricketer and his tryst with fame and adulation.
All-rounder (1984): This Kumar Gaurav starrer was probably the first Bollywood film to be made on ups and downs of a professional cricketer's life. The film was made after India won the Cricket World Cup in 1983.
Chamatkaar (1992): In this entertaining film, Shah Rukh Khan plays a college team's cricket coach. Their aim? To win a crucial match to ensure that the campus is not pulled down by the opposition. Naseeruddin Shah plays a ghost who helps Shah Rukh's team to win the match in the climax.
Stumped (2003): The film was a comparison between Indian cricketers going into the field during the 1999 Cricket World Cup and the Indian soldiers heading to the Kargil War. The film was released during the 2003 Cricket World Cup to cash in on the cricket craze but it failed to strike a chord and may be best remembered for Salman Khan agreeing to do an item number on Raveena Tandon's request.
Malamaal (1988): Well, this wasn't exactly a cricket film but in one crucial part of this film Naseeruddin Shah is seen playing a cricket match that he wants to lose at all costs. This particular cricket match sequence received heavy publicity mainly due to the presence of Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, who is seen playing the entire cricket match alongside Shah in the film.
Hattrick (2007): Dealt with a group of people whose lives are affected by the 2007 Cricket World Cup (The film was released during the World Cup). The film received a mixed response but the promotional song, Wicket Bachao, sung by Usha Uthup, was quite popular.
Awwal Number (1990) : India has lost all hopes of saving the cricket test series against Australia in the film. Aditya Pancholi plays the arrogant and unsuccessful captain who is replaced by a younger and talented cricketer, Aamir Khan, in this Dev Anand film. Amidst this rivalry, the final test match is threatened by a terrorist attack which is stopped by none other than our very own evergreen star Anand in this best forgotten film.
Lagaan (2001) : The mother of all Bollywood cricket flicks, winning an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. The film is set in the pre-independence era and Aamir Khan along with director Ashutosh Gowariker cleverly amalgamated cricket and patriotism, setting the audience's passion on fire. The audience was rooting for Aamir's team in the film's second half and it was as good as watching live cricket. No wonder the film turned into a trend-setting box office hit.
Chain Khuli Ki Main Khuli (2007) : This film is essentially a story of an orphan boy who gets hold of a magic cricket bat and ends up playing and winning matches for the Indian cricket team. This young boy was played endearingly by Zain Khan and Rahul Bose chipped in with a decent act as the Indian cricket team's captain.
Iqbal (2005): This sensitive tale of a deaf and mute village boy who aspires to become part of Indian cricket team featured a sensitive performance by Shreyas Talpade in the lead role. It touched a chord with aspiring cricketers, especially in small Indian towns and villages. Popular Indian cricketer Kapil Dev, also played a crucial part in this film and this was Naseeruddin Shah's third cricket film, making him a cricket specialist, at least on screen.
Say Salaam India (2007): This film was released during 2007 Cricket World Cup with Sanjay Suri heading a cast of unknown actors. On a positive note, the film was an honest attempt about an underdog cricket team who are busy chasing their dreams, and how they achieve it, finally by defeating the favourite local team.
