Films based on sports aren’t new to Telugu cinema with hits such as Thammudu, Okkadu, Kabaddi Kabaddi, Sye and Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu having set the cash registers ringing at the box office earlier. But the trend has peaked since at least half-a-dozen films, including Varun Tej’s untitled biopic on Pullela Gopichand, Aadhi Pinisetty’s Clap and Aishwarya Rajesh’s Mismatch and Kousalya Krishnamurthy, are in the pipeline.
This spike in popularity can be attributed to the stupendous success of Naga Chaitanya and Samantha-starrer Majili, and Nani’s Jersey. The appreciation that the films received seems to have whetted the appetite of directors for stories based on various sports including cricket, badminton and wrestling.
Jersey director Gowtam Tinnanuri says, “It’s usually the story of an underdog fighting against odds to succeed in his life or a young man taking up a challenge to win his love. Jersey is about a late bloomer, who wants to play for the Indian cricket team. It was a fictitious story of a middle-aged man struggling to realise his dream. We gave it the treatment of a biopic. The intense emotions made it relatable.”
Meanwhile, Sudheer Babu is warming up to play badminton star Pullela Gopichand in a biopic that will be helmed by Praveen Sattaru. The film will be shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi. The actor is leaving no stone unturned to prepare for the role. “I will meet Gopi, understand his character and soul. It’s tricky though. If we try to mimic, it will look fake and go awfully wrong. The idea is to capture the finer nuances of his character. In fact, I have decided not to work on any other film till I complete this biopic,” says the actor, who is a former professional badminton player. “I will play in international tournaments and Praveen will film those matches and incorporate the footage in the movie,” adds the actor.
Director Prithvi Aditya, who is helming the Telugu-Tamil bilingual sports drama Clap—The Sound of Success, says, “It is exciting to see these films in various stages of production. Clap is devoid of usual tropes and will give viewers an adrenaline rush. Aadhi, who is playing an athlete in the film, has undergone three months of vigorous training.”
Actor Aishwarya Rajesh, who is set to make her Telugu debut, has two sports films in her kitty. Kousalya Krishnamurthy shows her playing a professional cricketer while Mismatch will see her play a wrestler from Rajahmundry. Varun Tej will play the role of a boxer in an untitled sports-drama along the lines of Salman Khan’s Sultan. The actor has already commenced extensive boxing training with 2008 Summer Olympic bronze medallist, Tony Jeffries, in Los Angeles. Trade analyst K Deepak says sports-centric films make the audience root for the protagonist. “They are crowd-pullers. If you package such films with inspiring stories and extract good performances from the cast, then there is no stopping your film at the box office,” he ends.