Indian cricket team won the T20 World Cup after 17 years on Sunday, June 30. India has always been a cricket-loving nation and so do Bollywood. With time, the Hindi film industry has produced several cricket-oriented films. The stars line up for opportunities to work in cricket films because it is deemed as a high-grossing ticket at the box office due to the love of the Indian audience for this sport. On the occasion of a historic win by the Indian team, let us take a look at some of the finest Bollywood films which were based on cricket.
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)
The film was based on the life of a former Indian cricketer, MS Dhoni who became the second captain to win the ODI World Cup Trophy for India. It was directed by Neeraj Pandey. Sushant Singh Rajput donned the character of MS Dhoni with perfection as his performance was appreciated by the critics and the audience. It was one of the highest-grossing films in Bollywood at the time of its release. It collected Rs 215 crore worldwide. It is available to watch at Disney+ Hotstar.
83 (2021)
Relieving India’s first-ever cricket World Cup win, 83 focused on the journey of the Indian team and how they overcame all the odds under the leadership of Kapil Dev. Ranveer Singh played the lead role while Deepika Padukone donned the character of Kapil Dev’s wife in the film. It was directed by Kabir Khan. The film was highly anticipated by Indian cricket fans as it explored the journey of the 1983 team to the World Cup victory. It performed below par at the box office. It was produced on a budget of Rs 225-270 crore and earned approximately Rs 193.73 crore. It is currently streaming on Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar.
Lagaan (2001)
It was the first commercially successful film in India which brought cricket to Bollywood. It was the most expensive Indian film at the time of its release. The film follows the inhabitants of a village in Central India, who are burdened by high taxes and several years of drought. They are challenged by an arrogant British Indian Army officer to a game of cricket as a wager to avoid paying the taxes they owe. It starred Aamir Khan in the lead roles. Ashutosh Gowrikar wrote and directed the film. Lagaan is currently available on YouTube for free.
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