MS Dhoni: The Untold Story and five Bollywood cricket films that championed the game

Neeraj Pandey’s biopic of Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni: The Untold Story will be releasing on Friday, 30 September. It is a known fact that Bollywood is not new to cricket-based films. Here we list out five cricket films that Bollywood has dished out over the years: Lagaan (2000)  No points for guessing that Lagaan is on top of this list. The Ashutosh Gowariker-directed venture is easily one of the most definitive movies on cricket. Set in India under the British regime, Lagaan follows Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) who raises his voice against the unjust taxes levied upon him and his fellow villagers. The Britishers challenge him to a game of cricket, promising to abolish the taxes if the villagers win. Besides the stellar performances, what works for the film is that it combines cricket with another strong theme – patriotism. Little surprise then that it is one of the three Indian films to have ever made it to the nomination list of Best Foreign Language Picture at Oscars. Stumped (2003)  Starring Raveena Tandon and Ally Khan, the film depicts the 1999 Cricket World Cup in the backdrop of the 1999 Kargil War. The film also has Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev and Yuvraaj Singh making cameo appearances. Going by its name, the film also stumped at the box office. Iqbal (2005)  A simple story of personal triumph against all odds. This Nagesh Kukunoor-directed film revolves around Iqbal (Shreyas Talpade), a hearing and visually impaired boy, who dreams of playing in the Indian cricket team. How he rises above setbacks and bags a place in the final 11 makes for a heartwarming watch. Dil Bole Hadippa (2009)  Directed by Anurag Singh, the film saw Rani Mukherji in a never-before look for the film. Donning the garb of a Sikh man, she was seen hitting sixes and fours. She plays the role of a village girl who aspires to play cricket for the country and to fulfill her dreams she pretends to be a man. Azhar (2016)  A celebrated career that came crashing down in the wake of match-fixing allegations, two failed marriages – Mohammad Azharuddin’s life, with its dramatic highs and lows, was a movie waiting to be made. However, Ekta Kapoor’s production, which saw Emraan Hashmi as the former Indian skipper, did not live up to the audience’s expectations. Some blame Tony D’Souza’s poor direction, others say it was the simplistic approach adopted and blatant glorification of Azhar that did not resonate with the viewers.