Click to play videoNew Delhi: Chak De India is Shah Rukh Khan's latest release but sports hasn't always been the Bollywood filmmaker's favourite formula for success.
The most popular movie that brought together sports and the Hindi film format in an irresistible combo is Ashutosh Gowarikar's 2001 release Lagaan.
The Aamir Khan starrer brought Bhuvan and his rather oddball team face to face with the British for a game of cricket. Packaging patriotism, the age old battle between good and evil and Aamir's star presence with Rahman's lilting soundtrack - Lagaan made it to the Oscar nominees shortlist and showed that Bollywood need no longer be wary of films backed heavily by a sports theme.
Cricket again became the backdrop for Nagesh Kukunoor's Iqbal. Released in 2005, the film sensitively handled the story of the underdog - a deaf and mute boy Iqbal who dreams of being selected for the Indian Cricket team. A small budget non-starrer Iqbal also took a stab at the politics of selection in the game. The film, which picked up a National Award recently gave every small town cricket lover the hope to dream big.
Another Aamir Khan starrer which had a sports theme to it was Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander. A coming of age tale of two brothers, the film, which released in 1992 was one of the first films to skillfully pull off a nail biting climax with an ongoing sporting activity - a cycle race in this case. An inter-school cycling championship backed up by sibling camaraderie and teen-love made Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar a critical and commercial success.
One of the earliest films to have brought sports into the film narrative was Prakash Jha's Hip Hip Hurray. Released in 1984 the movie revolves around a sports teacher who wins over his students by helping them explore their talent through football. Hip Hip Hurray was also a comment on the attitude of parents and teachers towards sports and how for them it's best seen as a hobby and not a serious career option.
The Beautiful Game also formed the backdrop for Gurinder Chadha's 2002 sleeper hit Bend it Like Beckham. It tells the story of two women with completely different backgrounds who are brought together by one thing - their love for football. Shot in West London this cross cultural film revolves around Jasminder Kaur who worships David Beckham and she'd rather bend it like Beckham than learn how to make round chapattis and aloo gobhi. The film uses football as a medium to break stereotypes without stepping away from the game itself.
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