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The word “inspiration” has been
quite sullied by film-makers when they have to justify a blatant
rip-off. But there is no escaping the fact that movies always manage
to inspire their audiences, for good or for bad. Perhaps it’s the
power of images that succeeds where those oft-repeated proverbs
fail.
But if there is one movie genre
that really stretches the word to its outer boundaries, then it’s
the prototypical sports movie. Perhaps it’s the sheer physicality of
the subject that perpetually causes a tingling in the spinal chord
and a mad rush of adrenaline across your veins.
Sometimes, sports just form a
background to an entertaining story, like in ‘Bend it like Beckham’
and sometimes they use the compelling screenplay to tell out a true
story – which could either be a gut wrenching Remember the Titans or
Miracle, or a wildly comic ‘Cool Runnings’ or ‘Shaolin Soccer’. Few
other mentionable sports movies include ‘Chariots of Fire’ (1981)
and ‘Million Dollar Baby’ (2004).
Robert DeNiro won a Best Actor Oscar for his
portrayal of real-life boxer Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese's
‘Raging Bull’ (1980), while Hilary Swank won a Best Actress Oscar
for portraying a working-class waitress who aspired to be a
professional women's boxer in ‘Million Dollar Baby’ (2004). Kirk
Douglas earned his first Oscar nomination playing middleweight Midge
Kelly in ‘Champion’ (1949).
Amazingly, for a country which is a constant
embarrassment at international sporting events, it’s not surprising
that Indian sports movies are extremely few. As per the records, one
of the earliest films to have brought sports into the film narrative
was Prakash Jha's ‘Hip Hip Hurray’. Released in 1984, the movie
revolves around a sports teacher who wins over his students by
helping them explore their talent through football. ‘Hip Hip Hurray’
was also a comment on the attitude of parents and teachers towards
sports and how for them it's best seen as a hobby and not a serious
career option. However, the concept of sports films took off only
with that classic of the early 1990s, ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander’. The
movie marked a sea change from the revenge-based melodramas that
flourished in that era, and finally the audience could connect with
a Riverdale-type small town and everyday characters obsessed with
cross country cycle racing.
It’s Aamir again who can lay claim to a sports
film which is counted among the greatest ever made – Lagaan - the
movie that so nearly tasted Oscar glory. Combining the nation’s two
biggest passions – movies and cricket – ‘Lagaan’ had Bhuvan and his
rather oddball team come face to face with the British for a game of
cricket. Packaging patriotism, the age old battle between good and
evil and Aamir's star presence with A R Rahman's lilting soundtrack
- Lagaan made it to the Oscar nominees shortlist and showed that
Bollywood need no longer be wary of films backed heavily by a sports
theme. It had all the trappings of a mainstream movie (singing,
dancing, melodrama and romance), and yet succeeded in literally
bowling over critics and surprising audiences, who revelled at
theatres with plenty of back-slapping, air-punching, and shouting
expletives at the ‘bad guys’, all the while rooting for Bhuvan’s
misfit cricket team.
Staying with cricket, Nagesh Kukunoor’s ‘Iqbal’
is like chicken soup for the stressed out soul, a masterpiece of
cinema which gets only better with every repeat viewing.
Then came Gurinder Chaddha’s ‘Bend it like
Beckham’ which took the grandeur off cricket for a few months, with
everyone talking about football. The movie, released when David
Beckham was shining in full glory, sure did garner enough eulogies
all around the world. ‘Chennai 600028’ brought back the limelight
yet again on cricket. All the movies that we know (‘Lagaan’,
‘Chennai 28’, ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander’) have been based on local
rivalries, tournaments, matches, etc… They have never been about a
national team and a global event.
This is where enters ‘Chak De’, the country’s
very first sports film which revolves around a team’s evolution, the
struggle to defeat their greatest rival – their ego, the struggle
before the moment where they begin to believe in themselves, to
believe that they belong to the world stage. The transformation from
being a group of 16 players to being a team, where each one sticks
together, have all been shown beautifully. Then there are the petty
rivalries that are present in any team, the ones that threaten to be
the team’s downfall, all shown without going overboard or getting
clichéd.
‘Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal’, a very recent release, is
another movie that has tried to capture a different sport played in
India from the regular cricket and hockey - football or soccer. The
director, apparently, drew inspiration from ‘Chak De’ and ‘Iqbal’
and has tried to give the mass a boosted view about soccer but
unfortunately has failed to create the magic. The movie jus ended up
being branded as a copy and blend of the previously mentioned
movies.
It’s strange, really. In most movies, people
don’t want to see clichés; they don’t want to see cheesy,
predictable scenes. But when it comes to sports films, be it in
India or all over the world, the public unconsciously accept such
clichés to be a part of the quintessential sports movie.
No sports movie is complete without the mandatory
training montage, and the inspiring-speech-before-the-big-event
sequence – the most important part of any sports movie; that which
will inevitably cause goose bumps to erupt on your flesh. This is
when the leads are shown preparing for the oncoming challenge –
lifting dumbbells, punching the sandbag, or the more unconventional
‘Chale Chalo’ song in ‘Lagaan’.
The formula is simple enough. You have the
lovable underdog, an aspiring nobody, who must go through arduous
hurdles to bring about a miraculous victory. He will come across a
trainer or coach who would have to beat heavy odds for his pet
project to be successful. And yes, the villain – a charismatic,
arrogant but extremely talented sportsman, who immediately rubs the
audiences the wrong way. Add a dash of politics into the whole
scenario, and you’ve got a sumptuous movie meal indeed.
“But promoting a sports film is very difficult
and different, especially when you don't have several stars, songs
and dances and the flash," says director Shimit Amin of ‘Chak De’
fame. "There is superficiality in our culture. We tend to judge the
book by its cover," he says. "But if you really want to tell a
story, you must simply go ahead. We had great faith that ‘Chak De’
would be liked. Sports movies are inspiring, both in the making and
the watching," he adds.
Fact is stranger than fiction, and in the world
of film, one might say that truth is more riveting than fiction
could ever be. Sure, sports movies are always fun, and the more
drama that can be written into the story, the better. Yeah, sports
movies might end up being cheesy, campy and unrealistic; the
characters might be painted in black and white, scenes might be
Disney-fied to unbelievable extents, and sequences might be
unashamedly emotional. All fair arguments. However, at the end of a
feel-good sports movie, you are often let down by how perfectly
everything turned out. Could the underdog have ever performed so
miraculously if the screenwriter hadn't been there to save them at
every turn? But really, who cares? This is what we watch movies for.
Padma Venkatraman
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