BOLLYWOOD XI

Hi guys I came across this interesting article in Sunday Times so thought of posting a blog on it. It deals with sports films made till date in India which are worth a watch.

BOLLYWOOD XI

1. CHAK DE! INDIA 2007 Spurred by a no-nonsense coach fighting demons of the past, a bunch of no-hope-in-hell hockey players dribble past gender prejudices and overcome their own insecurities to win the women’s World Cup. Director Shimit Amin’s flick makes you laugh, cry and soar







2. JO JEETA WOHI SIKANDER 1992 Shopkeeper’s boy ignores the neighbourhood sweetheart and dreams of hooking up with the school’s gold-digging hotbod. Redemption comes calling in a cycle race he wins despite all odds




3. SAHEB 1985 Young goalkeeper (Anil Kapoor) with a heart of gold sells his kidney and barters his career for the sake of family. Reward comes in the form of a great job and the horsy Amrita Singh. Original Bengali version starred Tapas Pal, Tollywood star and Trinamul leader





4. HIP HIP HURRAY 1984 City-bred computer engineer becomes a parttime physical training teacher in laidback Ranchi and ends up reforming a bunch of rowdy kids through football. Director Prakash Jha’s first film had innocence, heart and a star Bollywood never had: Nikhil Bhagat




5. MOHUN BAGANER MEYE 1976 A Mohun Bagan fan gets married into rival club-loving household. Starring Utpal Dutt and Robi Ghosh, there’s no dearth of humour and mayhem in this Bengali film




6. DHANNI MEYE 1971 No village football match had more intrigues and was more passionately contested than this Uttam Kumar-Jaya Bhaduri Bengali film








7. KAVALAM CHUNDAN 1965 Malayalam cinema’s charming tribute to the annual snake boat race in Kerala’s backwaters and the village that first won it thrice. The track, Kuttanadan punchayile kochu penne, kuyilaale, is regarded as an all-time classic
   
   


8. IQBAL 2005 With a little help from a coach drenched in country liquor, a deaf and dumb boy overcomes physical handicaps and social prejudices to succeed as a cricketer. Director Nagesh Kukunoor’s flick engages, shakes and stirs
   
   












9. FOOTBALL SHOOTBALL HAI RABBA 2002 Spunky Indo-British girl hates cooking aloo gobhi and loves to bend it like Beckham. Director Gurinder Chaddha’s endearing ode to football feminism. Hotspot: Watch Keira Knightley before she became the Keira Knightley
   
   








10. LAGAAN 2001 In the dustbowls of hinterland India, a bunch of pugnacious villagers challenge their colonial masters to a game of cricket. Director Ashutosh Gowarikar’s blockbuster, brimming with feel-good proto-nationalism, converted cinema halls into stadiums .
11. SHATRANJ KE KHILADI 1977 Few Indian films have used sports to examine complex social and political issues. But director Satyajit Ray’s movie based on Premchand’s story is an exception. The movie isn’t only about the game that Sanjeev Kumar and Saeed Jaffery play in homes and open fields; it is also about the game that the colonial rulers played .