Bollywood films spurred by sporting and real-life war heroes

The success stories of real-life heroes in fields such as sports, politics, and war have always attracted avid cinephiles, be they sports stars, politicians or war heroes. With the Sidharth Malhotra starrer 'Shershaah', based on Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra, set for release, here's a look at some of the much-awaited biographical films that every movie-lover is looking forward to:

83: A much-awaited biographical sports film directed by Kabir Khan, '83' stars Ranveer Singh as Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev. The film chronicles the glorious moments of the 1983 cricket World Cup, which India had won for the first time under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. '83' features an ensemble cast that includes talented actors such as Deepika Padukone, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Jiiva, Saqib Saleem, Harrdy Sandhu, Ammy Virk, Pankaj Tripathi, Boman Irani, Nishant Dahiya, Sahil Khattar and Amrita Puri. The movie, just like Kapil Dev's heroics in 1983, is a prized catch.

Gangubai Kathiawadi: Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' narrates the true story of an infamous brothel owner and matriarch in Mumbai's Kamathipura, played by talented actress Alia Bhatt. The film is a biographical crime drama based on the book 'Mafia Queens of Mumbai' written by S. Hussain Zaidi. While many feel that Bhatt looks incredibly young to play this role, Bhansali is known to extract the best from his actors.

Maidaan: Ajay Devgn is all set to bring back the golden era of Indian football (1952-1962) with the upcoming biopic 'Maidaan'. The film is based on legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, played by Ajay Devgn, who coached the Indian football team from 1950 to 1963.

Thalaivi: This is an upcoming biopic based on the life of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and late actress J. Jayalalithaa. Actress Kangana Ranaut plays the lead role. It'll be interesting to see how the actress, an outspoken and abrasive personality on social media, will breathe life into the role of one of India's most powerful women politicians who was a lioness in her prime.

Shershaah: Starring Sidharth Malhotra in a prominent role, this war film directed by Vishnuvardhan and co-produced by Karan Johar, chronicles the valiant life of Param Vir Chakra awardee and army captain Vikram Batra who fought the Kargil War. In an interview with Gulf News, Malhotra claimed that he had set aside five years of his life breathing life into this project. It's out on August 12 on Amazon Prime/

Prithviraj: Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi and Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar have joined forces to bring to life the eventful life of the fierce Hindu ruler Prithviraj Chauhan. The film follows the reign of the late king and is based on the epic poem 'Prithviraj Raso' by Chand Bardai. This film also marks the acting debut of Miss World winner Manushi Chillar. She plays Prithviraj’s wife Sanyogita in the film.