With the T-20 World Cup series underway, the buzz around cricket is at its highest. And so, the time is right to take a look at Bollywood films that were based on the game. Check them out:
1. All Rounder (1984)
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Birju Kumar (Vinod Mehra) goes through a lot of hardship to ensure that his younger brother Ajay’s (Kumar Gaurav) cricketing dreams are fulfilled. When Ajay makes it to the Indian team at the expense of star cricketer Vikram (Shakti Kapoor), the latter plots the perfect revenge and gets Ajay dropped from the team. It is Birju who then motivates Ajay to regain his lost glory.
2. Awwal Number (1990)
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This Dev Anand-directed film, based on cricket, focuses on the rivalry between teammates. When upcoming star Sunny (Aamir Khan) replaces cricket sensation Ronny (Aditya Pancholi) in the team, it creates a divide between the two. The film follows Sunny’s rise in the world of cricket while Ronny unsuccessfully tries to sabotage his career.
3. Lagaan (2001)
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This Aamir Khan film is easily the most iconic movie in this genre. When Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) raises his voice against the heavy taxes levied on them by the British Raj, they make a simple offer to him – defeat us in a cricket match and we’ll abolish the taxes. Thrilling and heart-wrenching at the same time, the Ashutosh Gowariker-directed drama made it to the final 5 at the Oscars that year for best foreign language picture.
4. Stumped (2003)
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This Raveena Tandon starrer revolves around the residents of a certain Happy Home Society who are brought together by their love for cricket. With the sport as the backdrop, the story deals with how Reena (Raveena) overcomes her sense of isolation after her Army officer husband goes to fight the Kargil war.
5. Iqbal (2005)
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Besides Lagaan, this one’s another must-watch from this list. Director Nagesh Kukunoor tells the story of Iqbal (Shreyas Talpade), a deaf and mute boy, who dreams of playing cricket for India. He seeks help from Mohit (Naseeruddin Shah), who was once a great cricketer and persuades him to be his coach. Iqbal’s talent coupled with Mohit’s guidance helps him secure a place in the Andhra Pradesh Ranji Trophy team and eventually, in Team India.
6. Hattrick (2007)
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Hattrick revolves around Sarabjeet Singh (Kunal Kapoor), an avid cricket-lover, and his wife Kashmira (Rimi Sen), who thinks the sport is a waste of time.
7. Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii (2007)
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13-year-old Karan (Zain Khan) somehow manages to acquire the bat that Kapil Dev had used in the 1983 World Cup final, and bats so well with his ‘magic bat’ that he becomes the youngest player in history to play international cricket. What follows is a string of events that threaten his place in the Indian team.
8. Meerabai Not Out (2008)
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Who said cricket is only for men? Meet Meera Achrekar (Mandira Bedi) who is a cricket aficionado and heads the ‘Meera XI’ cricket team in the colony – all this much to her mother’s dismay, who is trying to get her married off.
9. Jannat (2008)
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The 2008 sleeper hit delves into the dark side of cricketing world. Arjun (Emraan Hashmi), a small-time gambler gets involved in cricket betting. But soon, he faces the dilemma of choosing between his unethical profession and his ladylove, Zoya (Sonal Chauhan).
10. Victory (2009)
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Yet another cricket-based film about regaining lost glory. Vijay Shekhawat’s (Harman Baweja) dream comes true when he is selected for the Indian team. However, this happiness is short-lived as Vijay lets his newfound fame get the better of him.
11. Dil Bole Hadippa! (2009)
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This Yash Raj film shows how Veera Kaur (Rani Mukherji) aspires to be a National-level cricketer. When Team India’s captain Rohan (Shahid Kapoor) has a trial session to select upcoming players, Veera goes disguised as a male and gets selected. What follows next is a comedy of errors.
12. Patiala House (2011)
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This Nikhil Advani film didn’t set the cash registers ringing, but was appreciated by critics. Gattu (Akshay Kumar) and his family are settled in England. His dreams of becoming a cricketer are cut short as his father Gurtej (Rishi Kapoor) bars him from playing for Team England. How Gattu manages to realise his dreams despite his father’s disapproval forms the rest of the story.
13. Ferrari Ki Sawari (2012)
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When Kayo (Ritwik Sahore) gets selected for training at Lord’s, his father Rusi (Sharman Joshi) comes up with a unique plan — he decides to steal Sachin Tendulkar’s Ferrari and get the required one-and-a-half lakh rupees for the trip. Ferrari Ki Sawari essentially tells the story of a father not stopping at anything to make his son’s dreams come true.
14. Azhar (2016)
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The Tony D’Souza-directed film will see Emraan Hashmi bring to life the journey of ex-Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin.
15. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)
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Set for a September 2 release, the Sushant Singh Rajput starrer will give us a peek into what went behind making Mahendra Singh Dhoni the phenomenon that he is.