Top 10 Cricket movies in Bollywood

Movies and Cricket have always maintained a love-hate relationship in India. Both identities have prove to be massive entertainers for the Indian population. However, its the perfect mix of Bollywood and Cricket that few people have tried and only fewer have succeed in executing their efforts.

Here are the Top 10 Cricket movies produced in Bollywood:

10. Awwal Number (1990)

One of the first cricket-centric movies of Hindi cinema, Awwal Number was directed by Dev Anand. The storyline revolves around two cricketing careers that fight for the same place in the side. One being an established batsman ‘Ronny’ (Aditya Pancholi) who loses his place in the side to a wonder-kid ‘Sunny’ (Aamir Khan). The film ended up being a commercial flop but it definitely set a benchmark for the industry that was willing to experiment in the early 90s.

9. Dil Bole Hadippa (2009)

A Yash Raj film featuring Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukherji, this one of a kind cricketing rom-com that tanked at the box-office. Inspired from the famous ‘She’s the man’, the movie had very little to offer to our Indian audience.

8. Say Salaam India (2007)

Directed by critically acclaimed director Subhash Kapoor, this movie was a humble portrayal of cricket in the country. Starring Sanjay Suri and Milind Soman, the flick revolved around a school cricket coach, 4 budding cricketers and their passion for the beautiful game.

7. Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii (2007)

Widely known as the cricketing version of ‘Like Mike’, the movie is based on how a teenager finds inspiration off a Kapil Dev 1983 World Cup winning bat. Its a typical rags to riches story that had the perfect ingredients of becoming a perfect Bollywood entertainer.

6. Victory (2009)

Victory was that one movie that proved no matter how advanced the film industry may have become, sketching a perfect cricket movie still remains a daunting challenge. I mean, you know there is something wrong with the movie when even special appearances from the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Mike Hussey, Brett Lee and Yusuf Pathan couldn’t save the film from being an utter disappointment.

5. Patiala House (2011)

Starring Akshay Kumar, Patiala House presented a complete different side of Indian-origin cricketers in England. Rumoured to have loosely based upon the struggles of England spinner Monty Panesar, this Nikhil Advani film was one of the few sports based movies that garnered success on the commercial platform.

4. Ferrari Ki Sawaari (2012)

After ruling the roost with family entertainers like Munnabhai MBBS and 3 Idiots, Vidhu Vinod Chopra tried his hand on a cricket-comedy starring Sharman Joshi and Boman Irani. Its about a father that would do anything to fulfill his son’s dream to play at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. The movie had its moments filled with warmth and soothing humour as it did enough to make a mark on a niche Indian multiplex audience.

3. Jannat (2008)

This was a typical Mukesh Bhatt movie that attempts to reveal the dark secrets that haunted the game of cricket in the past couple of decades. Starring a flamboyant Emraan Hashmi, the movie focuses on the match-fixing saga that rattled the credibility of World cricket over the years.

2. Iqbal (2005)

Another Nagesh Kukunoor masterpiece, Iqbal was a story of a deaf and mute youngster and his obsession to play for the Indian Cricket team. The things in the favour of this Shreyas Talpade starrer flick was its innocent script, moving performances from the leads and a rather carefully woven soundtrack that ended up attaining achieve tremendous reception from the viewers.

1. Lagaan (2001)

A brain-child of two perfectionists – Aamir Khan and Ashutosh Gowariker – Lagaan is an epic sports drama setup in the pre-independent India. Its about how a game of cricket turns out to be a matter of life and death for the villagers who end up fighting for their rights against the British Raj.

The film resulted in a critical and box-office success. Moreover, it became only the third Indian film to have ever been nominated for an Academy Award.