Taapsee Pannu starrer Shabaash Mithu finally hit the big screens on Friday. Directed by Srijit Mukherji, the film revolves around the life and journey of former Indian cricket team captain Mithali Raj. According to news18.com, the film tries to highlight too many issues – women empowerment, the mistreatment of women cricketers by government agencies, how ignorant most Indians are about the women’s cricket team, the difficulty women face in balance personal and professional life and, of course, the call to patriotism that runs through the film.
Mithali Raj’s biopic is not the first of its kind. Since Bollywood has repeatedly honored sports personalities and their contribution, her story is definitely different from others. The film, however, highlights how a Bharatnatyam lover also loves to play cricket but has to do it secretly.
As we await more reviews and a collection of Shabaash Mithu tickets, here’s a look at 10 sports biographies:
Paan Singh Tomar
Released in 2012, Paan Singh Tomar was directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, starring late Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead roles. The film revolves around the life of Paan Singh Tomar, an athlete who won gold medals in the Indian National Games seven times in a row and is forced to live the life of a dandu after a family dispute. The film’s box office collection was around 20.18 crore. Under the direction of Tigmanshu Dhulia, Irrfan Khan took the film on his shoulders and the duo received rave reviews for their collaboration.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Considered as a traditional sports biopic, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, was released in 2013. It revolves around the life of athlete Milkha Singh, it is known that Milkha Singh gave the rights of his story for just one rupee to the makers . Farhan Akhtar essayed the role of Milkha Singh and tried to capture his trauma and struggles. The movie made huge noise at the box office and broke many records by collecting 201 cr worldwide.
Mary Com
Priyanka Chopra starrer Jonas Mary Kom was released in 2014 and directed by Omung Kumar. The film created a huge controversy ever since the visuals of Priyanka Chopra playing the role of Mary Kom were released. While many believe that an actor of Manipuri origin should have played the role, the film managed to garner great reviews and collected ₹86.19 crore at the box office.
Azhar
Azhar revolved around the life of cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin, whose career began to decline following match-fixing allegations. Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi played Mohammad Azharuddin. The movie looked incredible, with more fantastical elements coming into play. However, Azhar still managed to cut Rs 56.69 Cr in its total collection at the box office.
MS Dhoni: The Untold Story
Directed by Neeraj Pandey, the MS Dhoni biopic was a much-awaited film. However, the film became an extensive advertisement for Team India’s famous captain MS Dhoni. While the film highlights Dhoni’s struggle and journey as the captain of Team India, it fails to reveal any controversies from his career as a cricketer. Sushant Singh Rajput did a very good job of being Dhoni and impressed the audience with his amazing performance. The film earned an estimate of Rs 216 cr at the box office.
Dangal
Aamir Khan starrer Dangal was one of the most popular sports biopics. Released in 2016, the film followed the story of the Phogat brothers, played by newcomers Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh. The film received an overwhelming response at the box office and collected around Rs 2,024 cr. The film did a great job of explaining the sport of wrestling while providing a compelling narrative of the father-daughter story.
Sorma
Diljit Singh starrer Soorma revolves around the life of hockey player Sandeep Singh. Released in 2018, Sandeep Singh’s story could have left the viewers speechless. Diljit’s convincing and impressive performance certainly garnered a lot of praise, ably supported by Angad Bedi. The film minted 48 crore at the box office.
Gold
Released in 2018, Gold featured Akshay Kumar in the title role of Tapan Das, the manager of India’s hockey team, who faces many obstacles post-Independence as he prepares his team for the upcoming Olympics. The film earned Rs 154.43 Cr at the box office.
Saand Ki Aankh
Stand Ki Aankh was the story of two shooters from Haryana, Chandro and Prakashi Tomar. The film was released in 2019 and featured Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu in the title roles. Even with a gripping plot, the film earned only around 30.7 CR.
Saina
Based on the life of ace badminton player Saina Nehwal, the movie Saina released in 2021, starring Parineeti Chopra in the lead role. Directed by Amole Gupte, the film follows the highs and lows of former world No. 1, India’s ace tennis player Saina Nehwal. The film failed to attract the audience and earned only 1.51 crore at the box office.
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