CHIBA, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It’s April 1991 and the city is getting ready to host the World Table Tennis Championships. It is also gearing up for one of the most significant developments in a post-Cold War world. A unified sports team from Korea — a first since the Peninsula was divided after the second World War — is registered.
The move is to generate goodwill amid an air of increasing hostility between the two nations.
It works. The side generates a massive amount of eustress. That wave reaches a crescendo when the women’s team, led by Ri Bun-Hui (North Korea) and Hyun Jung-Hwa (South Korea), beats China to gold. What had happened at the 1990 Asian Games adds to the occasion. Jung-Hwa beat Bun-Hui, but ended up losing to Deng Yaping in the women’s event. Six months later, two foes become friends to get the better of China and Yaping.
It has everything a director wants in a sports biopic — national pride, historical significance, geopolitical tension and enough drama to shoot nine seasons worth of Emmy-award winning episodes. So, in 2012, Ko-ri-a, hits the screens. Even before the film begins, the masses are on the edge, whistling and crying. The entire peninsula is sketched inside one of the alphabets as the title is displayed. It doesn’t have the international border.
The title fades and the biopic begins. Where hopes and dreams marry reality, even if it’s mixed with a generous dollop of fiction.
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Right around the same time as ‘As One’ (Ko-ri-a) premiered, there was a small but intangible change taking place in the corridors of Bollywood. Producers and directors began backing sports biopics. The smartly packaged Paan Singh Tomar (PST), the real-life story of an armyman who represented the country at the Asian Games in 1958 before becoming a rebel, in March 2012, meant there was a realignment of how the money men perceived stories of sportspersons, alive or dead. Lagaan, Iqbal and Chak De! India — all made in the first 10 years of this century — did prove viewers were willing to watch sports films, either fictitious or inspired by real events. But it wasn’t until PST that the mentality changed.
Ad film director Prahlad Kakkar agrees. “See, you have to understand how the industry works,” he tells Express. “Nothing succeeds like success. Our film industry is reactive, not original. When romantic films were made, everyone made them. When action films were made, everyone started doing the same. But after the successes of PST and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, there was a whole genre that was waiting to be tapped. And that is what you have seen over the last 18 months and will see in the months to come.”
That is true. There are films on Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Pullela Gopichand and Dhyan Chand lined up as well as one on Mariyappan Thangavelu.
Given that watching sports and going to the cinema are two of the most tribalistic pastimes, does he find it strange that it’s taken this much time for the industry to bring this category of film-making into the mainstream? “It also depends on the story,” he says. “Dangal was a world hit because of how it was portrayed. The actual story segued superbly into the writing so much that there wasn’t a need for willing suspension of disbelief. Or any outrageous scenes of jingoism. There is always a market for good stories provided the accuracy is maintained.”
Even so, facts were tweaked to bollywoodise Dangal; a familiar trope among film-makers around the world. But Babita Kumari, who won a gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, understands why the makers resorted to it. “There was masala also, which I can’t criticise because films need to do well at the box office,” she says. “It helped me reach out to the audience outside the Hindi-speaking wrestling belts. People who cheered for us at international events did not know about our parents and the roles they played in bringing us up.”
That is a powerful tool for film-makers. Everyone knows how Sindhu, Saina et al became Olympic medallists. But the medium of cinema is such that it gives the fan a behind-the-scenes look at what went into making them sporting heroes in a land that is devoid of them, by and large. “A sports biopic also saves the producers a lot of money with respect to marketing and publicity,” Kakkar opines. “You just need to mention the word ‘Saina’ or a ‘Sindhu’ and the publicity takes care of itself.”
Sometimes that may be a detriment as well. Expectations are already set in stone and the protagonists themselves may not like to be a part of the film. L Ibomcha Singh, Mary Kom’s coach, was one of those dissenting voices. “I am a coach and I did not want to be part of the movie (Mary Kom),” he says. “Movie is fantasy. So I refused to play any role. Even some Manipuri movie-makers tried to persuade me but I rejected their offer.” However, he did share footage of training sessions with the stakeholders.
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Sachin: A Billion Dreams, a documentary-drama that released over the weekend, is the latest in a spate of sports personality-based films to hit theatres. This, though, fails to strike a chord with people who grew up with Tendulkar. There are enough previously unseen footage to keep viewers interested, but it doesn’t pull at the heartstrings like when he came out to bat. It’s a movie made for the Instagram generation, not for the tape-recorder ones. However, one line in the movie — a part of his farewell speech at the Wankhede — is one of the reasons why sports biopics are being made in abundance these days. “Ajit,” he says, “my brother, now what do I talk about him? We have lived this dream together.”
That is the essence. This genre allows people to not only dream, but live fantasies through prism of their heroes.
In the pipeline
Saina Nehwal
To be titled Saina, biopic on first Indian shuttler to win Olympic medal will star Shraddha Kapoor. Amol Gupte is director. Slated for 2018 release.
PV Sindhu
Actor Sonu Sood is the producer of film on Rio silver medallist. Will concentrate more on her journey to the top, with Deepika Padukone rumoured to be playing Sindhu. No release date slated yet.
T Mariyappan
Touted to be the first Tamil sports biopic, it could be directed by Rajinikanth’s daughter Aishwarya Dhanush. Move to do this on the 2016 Paralympics gold winner has got overwhelming response.
P Gopichand
Southern star Sudheer Babu, who shot to fame in Bollywood as villain in Baaghi, will play the lead. The film on India’s leading badminton player/coach will be directed by national award-winner Praveen Sattaru. In Hindi, English and Telugu.
Paan Singh Tomar
Based on multiple-time national steeplechase champion, who died as a dacoit in Chambal valley. Success despite small budget and relatively unknown cast. Considered pioneer of sports biopics in India.
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia. Starring: Irrfan Khan.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
On Milkha Singh, India’s great track athlete, and Asian Games champion. Chronicles the Flying Sikh’s journey to stardom, and how he missed out on a medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics by a whisker.
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Starring: Farhan Akhtar.
Mary Kom
Most reviews pegged it as doing justice to the boxer’s struggles to become a five-time world champion and Olympic medallist. Many also felt someone of Mary’s heritage in the lead would have been more effective.
Director: Omung Kumar. Starring: Priyanka Chopra.
Dangal
Chronicling life of Mahavir Singh Phogat, and how he raised daughters Geeta and Babita to be two of the best Indian wrestlers. Shows how he broke the stereotype and inspired the girls to take up sport.
Director: Nitesh Tiwari. Starring: Aamir Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra.
Budhia Singh
Based on child prodigy from Odisha, who became renowned as the world’s youngest marathon runner. His feat of running from Bhubaneswar to Puri (65km) aged just four, was brought onto the big screen.
Director: Soumendra Padhi.
Starring: Manoj Bajpayee, Mayur Patole.
Azhar
Based on the life of former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, his relationships and events that led to his ban for role in match-fixing in 2000. Got moderate success and was criticised for drifting away from reality while depicting certain events.
Director: Tony D’Souza.
Starring: Emraan Hashmi.
MS Dhoni: The Untold Story
A commercial success, it brought to the fore the struggles that India’s most successful captain had to endure to reach superstardom. Also provides glimpses into his relationship and marriage to Sakshi.
Director: Neeraj Pandey.
Starring: Sushant Singh Rajput.
swaroop@newindianexpress.com