'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Bollywood is opening up to the idea of biopics with several films hitting the big screen over the last couple of years. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was a runaway hit thanks to a brilliant portrayal of Milkha Singh by actor Farhan Akhtar. The Flying Sikh couldn’t have asked for a better film to depict his life. The Indian running legend became better known to people across the country thanks largely to this film.5-time World Amateur boxing champion Mary Kom’s life in the ring was well documented by director Omung Kumar in the film Mary Kom. Priyanka Chopra played the lead role in the film. There are several deserving athletes, both present and past, whose stories should be told. Let us take a look at some of them.[Note: Karan Johar has bought the rights to make a biopic on hockey wizard Dhyan Chand and therefore is not part of the list. Cricketers biopic article can be read here.]
#5 Leander Paes
A warrior whose love for tennis transcends everything else in the world. Leander Paes epitomises all qualities that are needed to be a great champion. He entered 25th year on the ATP tour this year and is looking good to carry on forever. The Indian ace won his 15th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last month partnering Martina Hingis. His passion for the country keeps him going and he is not shy of expressing his emotions on the court.
His chest bumps with his partner upon winning a point is widely known and his energy rubs onto his teammate. His best moment in singles came at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 where he clinched bronze. The Kolkata lad looks to add another medal when he takes to the court at the Rio Olympics next year. It will be his seventh Olympic Games!
Paes is not immune from off-court controversies. After separating from his partner Rhea Pillai, Paes is battling for the custody of his daughter Aiyana. Mahesh Bhupathi and Paes haven’t been the best of friends over the years and it all adds to a perfect potboiler.
#4 Viswanathan Anand
Although Chess isn’t the most exciting sport in the world, Viswanathan Anand is India’s flagbearer for close to three decades now. Anand had a terrific beginning to his chess career when he was became the youngest Indian to win the title of International Master at just 15. India’s first Grandmaster continued his winning spree and was seen as a tough nut to crack by his opponents.
Anand was the recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri when he was 18 years old. He is known for his cool demeanour during games. His wife Aruna has played a crucial role giving the much needed support during strenuous matches. Anand’s mother was the one who taught him the sport when he was six years old and she continues to be back her son in critical times.
Anand has been away from controversies, but was in the news for non-chess reasons in 2010. Anand has made Spain his second home since the mid 90’s. There were rumors about the Union HRD ministry not awarding Doctorate to Anand for having dual citizenship. However, Kapil Sibal who was the HRD minister at the time dismissed these reports and prevented embarrassment to the central government.
Anand is one of India’s unsung heroes whose name crops up whenever there is a discussion about awarding Bharat Ratna to sportspersons.
#3 Abhinav Bindra
India’s first Olympic gold medallist did not have a tough time to start with as his parents had an indoor shooting range installed at his home. That doesn’t mean one can become an overnight champion. Bindra toiled hard day and night under the tutelage of Dr. Amit Bhattacharjee. It did not take long for his talent to be noticed as he became the youngest Indian to take part in the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the subsequent Olympic Games in Sydney.
After bagging a lot of medals at the Commonwealth games, Bindra wanted to pass the ultimate test – to win a medal at the Olympics. The 32-year old had a disappointing outing in Sydney, where he failed to qualify for the finals. In the 2004 Athens Games, Bindra broke the Olympic record and was placed third going into the finals. Pressure got the better of him as he ended up in the last position in a field of eight.
Bindra learnt from his mistakes and vowed to not to repeat them at the 2008 Beijng Games. And boy, he made a mence by dominating the field from the word go! He was the only shooter to register scores of 10 or more in all his shots in the final and ended up with a totla of 700.5 points. The nation was filled with joy and Bindra got a hero’s welcome when he landed in Mumbai after his success.
He remains an inspiration for a generation of shooters and a biopic would only increase that number!
#2 Saina Nehwal
Indian badminton queen Saina Nehwal has been dominating the sport in the country for a while now. She is the highest ranked Indian at the moment, warding off challenges from her compatriot P.V Sindhu. Nehwal was seen as a child prodigy as badminton was in her genes with her parents were playing the sport as well.
Saina won the U-19 National Championships twice, a feat which wasn’t achieved before. More success followed as she became the first Indian to win the World Junior badminton championships and a Super Series tournament claiming the Indonesian Open title in 2009. Saina added more medals to her ever growing tally at the Commonwealth Youth Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games. The best result of her career came at the 2012 London Olympics when she added another first to her list becoming the first badminton player to win a medal at the sport’s biggest sporting stage.
Saina does not have a great record against the Chinese shuttlers, but she is doing her bit to improve that record. She took a minor step towards it by winning the 2014 China Open Super Series title. The 24-year old has a long way to go in her career and Indian fans can hope for a lot of medals from the Hyderabadi in the coming years.
Saina was in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. There were reports that she demanded the Padma Bhushan award from the government of India after her name was not sent to the sports ministry by Badminton Association of India (BAI). She was critisiced by former athletes over her behaviour. Saina later clarified that Sushil Kumar deserves the award and that she would have been happy to see her name considered for the prestigious award as well.
Coming back to the film front, Saina mentioned in an interview last year that she wishes Deepika Padukone to essay her role if a film is made on her life. Deepika is not a stranger to badminton and we wouldn’t be surprised if the film hits the floors soon.
#1 Sushil Kumar
Sushil Kumar’s story is one of hardships and a lot of struggle that can inspire millions of people. Born in Baprola village in South West Delhi, Kumar’s father, Diwan Singh did not have the financial backing to support the dreams of his son. Singh was a DTC driver. Kumar was drawn to wrestling by his cousin Sandeep and his father who was a wrestler as well. Sandeep dropped out to encourage Kumar take up the sport on a professional level as only one of them could afford to attend training at the time.
His family backed him all the way. Sushil started training at the age of 14 and was coached by Yashvir and Ramphal to begin with. Sushil faced tough conditions which included sharing a room with 20 other wrestlers. After an impressive showing in the junior category, Sushil made a jump to the seniors. His first success at the senior stage was a bronze medal finish at the Asian Championships in 2003 and won gold in the 2003 Commonwealth Championships in London.
Sushil did not have a great start in the 66 Kg category at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After losing in the first round, he won his two repecharge matches to qualify for the bronze medal playoff. He went on to win the bronze beating Spiridonov. He became the only Indian to win medals in consecutive games when he settled for silver at the 2012 London Olympics losing the final to Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu.
In a landmark win , he won the 2014 Commonwealth gold by beating Qamar Abbas in just 107 seconds. If there is one story that needs to be told on the big screen, it is that of Sushil Kumar.
