How Irrfan Khan's journey began with an Indian football movie

The Indian film fraternity suffered an invaluable loss on the 29th of April 2020 as renowned actor, Irrfan Khan tragically passed away. He had been battling colon infection and breathed his last at a hospital in Mumbai on Wednes

Throughout his career, Irrfan shared a close bond with sports and had played pivotal roles in movies such as Paan Singh Tomar. However, one of his most important contributions to the industry and in fact, Indian football, was a film titled, ‘The Goal’, which released in 1999.

At that juncture, Irrfan (Anupam) was still a greenhorn in the film landscape yet he showcased immense maturity to play the role of a football coach who took a talented but poor youngster (Manu) under his wing. Anupam, who had once enjoyed a stellar professional career, had been forced out of the game due to constant injuries.

However, his hunger for the sport didn’t reduce, meaning that he accepted an old friend’s offer to coach Eleven Bullets, an outfit that was competing to win the Challenge Trophy. He initially found it tough to get his message across to his players, owing to their laid-back attitude. Subsequently, Irrfan spotted Manu, who represented an eager footballer and one itching to make his mark.

'The Goal' tackles the problem of caste discrimination

The movie further tackles the plot of privileged individuals refusing to play alongside Manu, due to the latter being from a lower caste and the fact that his father was a thief.

Consequently, Irrfan breaks the caste-based barriers and decides to show faith in the youthful footballer, even asking Manu to represent an opponent to play against his former team.

In the process, the actor had highlighted that the game of football indeed cuts across boundaries. More importantly though, it also provided inspiration to countless budding footballers around the country, maintaining that financial status should never be an impediment to following one’s dream.

Throughout his career, Irrfan had carved a niche for himself by putting forth movies that thrilled the audiences while they also lent something substantial to the society.

He had acted in several influential movies of the ilk of Angrezi Medium, Hindi Medium, Karwaan and Lunchbox. Additionally, he was also a part of the movie Slumdog Millionaire, which was acclaimed across the globe and bagged several top-drawer awards.

Unsurprisingly, the entire country still remains in shock as the actor bid adieu to the world, despite only being 53 years old, although he left behind a remarkable legacy.

And, an important cog in that has to be ‘The Goal’, which proved to be a movie well beyond its times and one that could perfectly help propel the footballing revolution Indian football is undergoing.

You can watch the full movie here.