There is very little surprise when it comes to the devotion of the Indian subcontinent with its history of cricket. India has for long been associated with the sport of cricket, with its fame and glitter not reducing at all even in the most contemporary times. The duration and the mode of the game might have changed over the years but the fervor has remained all the same. Cricket has been at the center of many stellar moments in the history of India and that has included good and bad. It is safe to say that Indians hold their cricketing legacy very close to their heart and would stop at nothing to be able to live out their dreams in the form of IPL, World Cup, or the most quintessential form – the gully cricket.
All these forms of cricket have inspired artists and filmmakers to come up with masterpieces of work, which have represented the soulful connection that Indians have with the game. Bollywood – one of the most watched and subscribed Indian film production houses, has made some movies over the years which have only reinvigorated our love for the game. Here are some Bollywood movies which took upon themselves the daunting and perhaps beautiful task of creating cinema which is cricket-centric:
- Lagaan
Without a question, Lagaan sets the bar for movies about cricket. In essence, it combines patriotism and cricket. The plot centers on a small town where people struggle to survive during the British era, when poor Indians were subjected to hefty taxes. They are rudely challenged to play a game of cricket to avoid paying taxes by a haughty official. This challenge is accepted, and Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) gets the villagers ready for the game. The game turns interesting as Villagers need to hit a six in the final ball to win. While on strike, Bhuvan ultimately hit the ball hard to get it out of the ground and win the game.
- All Rounder (1984)
The first cricket-related movie after the Indian Team’s World Cup victory in 1983 is called All Rounder. Young cricketer Ajay (Kumar Gaurav) is the protagonist of the movie. With the help of his older brother Birju (Ajay Mehra), Ajay manages to earn a spot in the Indian Test team, but at the expense of Vikram, who was a star player (Shakti Kapoor). Vikram makes every effort to exact revenge on Ajay by getting him inebriated, but eventually, through his perseverance, he returns to the Indian side.
- Love Marriage (1959)
The top film on many of our lists of cricket-related movies is Love Marriage. In the movie Love Marriage, which was directed by Subodh Mukherji, Dev Anand plays the famous cricketer Sunil Kumar, who plays for his hometown team of Jhansi and resides with his brother’s family. Later, Sunil relocates to Bombay and resides in a leased home in order to attend a job interview. He marries Mala Sinha, the landlord’s daughter, after falling in love with her. Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar’s renowned duet number from this movie is its claim to fame. Chal Chand Gagan Mein, Dheere Dheere.
- Stumped (2003)
As a producer, this was Raveena Tandon’s first picture. The film’s plot is introduced while India battles Pakistan in Kargil; however, the English-language Cricket World Cup was also taking place at the time. When their neighbor Major Raghav Seth enlists in the military and goes away, the residents of Happy Home Society are eager to watch the World Cup. Due to the focus on cricket in society, Raveena, his wife, is powerless. Sachin, Kapil Dev, and Yuvraaj Singh were just a few of the cricket players who appeared in this movie.
- Iqbal (2005)
One of the best Bollywood cricket movies is Iqbal, which also has a positive message for our society. Iqbal (Shreyas Talpade), a young cricketer who is deaf and dumb and aspires to play for India, has financial difficulties and has a father who disapproves of the sport. However, with the help of an ex-player (Naseeruddin Shah), he is able to fulfill his ambition.
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