There is no better combination in India than Bollywood and sport. This genre is filled with adrenaline-pumping moments, inspiring stories of triumph, and heartwarming messages.
From Cricket and Hockey to athletics and boxing, Bollywood has explored various sports and brought them to life on the big screen. These movies not only entertain but also inspire and motivate us to chase our dreams.
This is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the country and we are excited to bring you a rundown of the 5 must-watch Indian sports films.
Lagaan (2001)
We begin with a film made about the biggest sport in India, cricket. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India is a fictional tale starring Aamir Khan and it is set during the British rule of India. It follows the people of a small village who decide to try and beat the pompous British rulers at their own game, cricket.
Lagaan had a tremendous budget of 250 million Rupees, an amount of money that was unprecedented at the time for Indian movies, especially about sports. The money was well spent and Lagaan is considered among the top 5 must-watch Indian sports movies.
At the time, it was just the third Bollywood movie to get nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
Chak De India (2007)
Hockey is another of the leading sports in India and Chak De India focuses on the women’s hockey team. It is the story of how, against all the odds, the Indian Women’s hockey team won the World Cup.
There are many backstories in this movie, including that of the coach, played by Shah Rukh Khan. He is a former player who is looking to resurrect his career in hockey by taking the women’s team to the World Cup final.
They beat Australia in the final and one of the special moments in Chak De India is when Shah Rukh Khan delivers the unforgettable Sattar Minute locker room speech.
Do You Know? Shah Rukh Khan had declined the role first as he was busy in the shoot of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna .
Jannat (2008)
Jannat follows the story of a young man, played by Emraan Hashmi, who falls in love with a woman played by Sonal Chauhan. They are from different backgrounds and having got married, their happiness soon turns to despair as Arjun, the lead male character, is caught up in a world of crime, including match-fixing on cricket matches.
Illegal betting has long been an issue for the sport and Jannat highlights the problem and shows there is no winner when it comes to illegal gambling on cricket.
Betting on this game is extremely popular in India and is a lot of fun, especially when the Indian Premier League is in full swing. Sports betting has become more affordable in India thanks to no minimum deposit betting sites and has opened the door for those on a budget to bet on it.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)
Anyone who needs a motivational lift to get up off the sofa and act should watch Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. The movie is based on the true story of Milkha Singh, played by Farhan Akhtar, who comes close to winning a medal at the Olympic Games.
Known as ‘The Flying Sikh’, Singh is the only Indian athlete to win gold for the 400 meters at both the Commonwealth and Asia Games. However, the movie focuses on Singh’s appearance at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where he finished fourth in the 400-meter final.
His time of 45.73 seconds was the Indian national 400-metre record for close to 40 years and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag has one of the best soundtracks of any Indian sports movie.
Do You Know? Sonam Kapoor charged Rs. 11 for her role as Nirmal Kaur in this movie
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)
As mentioned above, cricket is the most popular sport in India, with M.S. Dhoni being one of the greatest Indian cricket players of all time. It is rare for a movie to be released about a sportsperson before they have retired and M.S. Dhoni continued to play internationally until 2020.
However, such was his popularity, that producers knew they would have a hit movie on their hands with his story.
He holds many records in this game, including being the first Indian wicketkeeper to score 4,000 Test runs and the highest individual ODI score by a wicketkeeper, which was set in 2005 against Sri Lanka.
The late Sushant Singh Rajput stars as M.S. Dhoni and the movie follows the journey of him from an avid ticket collector to becoming the captain of the India cricket team. M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story proved to be a massive hit and is one of the top 5 must-watch Indian sports films.
