Sport gives us great drama that transcends any reality show. Sport gives us the best stories too — fictional or a biopic.
When Dangal smashed box-office records, it became clear that Indian audiences are mature enough to accept and imbibe good tales woven around any sport. One wonders if the time is ripe for many more Telugu movies based on sports, an area that troubles our filmmakers as much as Snape’s Potions class troubled Harry.
Nani, an actor known for his gutsy preponderance for script over commercial appeal, feels makers are intimidated sometimes by the amount of research that should go into sports-based stories. Nani, who hopes to work on a sports biopic someday, feels there are many sport related stories in every nook and corner of our villages and towns waiting to blossom. Tatineni Satya’s Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu , starring Nani, still brings him compliments. Nandini Reddy, who directed Nani in the super-hit Ala Modalaindi , feels, “For a long time, sports in this country has meant only cricket. With the rise of stars in other sports such as badminton, boxing and wrestling, the outlook has changed. Sports’ stories also require greater planning and budget besides training for the actor.”
While we have done romance to death in Telugu, sport still takes a backseat. There have been very few exceptions over the years. Rajamouli’s Sye , despite being based on rugby, stands out for its screenplay and thrilling narrative. Arun Prasad’s Thammudu , starring Pawan Kalyan, inspired by Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar , and Puri Jagannadh’s Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi , were both based on kickboxing. Telugu cinema known once for being ahead of times had dappled with sports biopics way back in 1991 with the movie Ashwini , made by B C Mouli and produced by Ramoji Rao, on the life of athlete, Ashwini Nachappa. Sudha Kongara is remaking her Saala Khadoos , in Telugu as Guru , starring Venkatesh.
Ram Mohan, an IIM-A alumnus, writer of the Nagarjuna-starrer Soggade Chinni Nayana , co-writer and co-producer of Uyyala Jampala and producer of Ashta Chamma and Golconda High School , believes, “Sports-based movies are abundant in Hollywood because of their sports culture and familiarity with the rules. If a culture exists, the opportunity to showcase it as a film will exist too. We have idols now like Gopichand and Sania Mirza whose stories could inspire.”
Praveen Sattaru, director of National Award winner, Chandamama Kathalu , says, “Producers are sceptical of new stories of any genre and of the director’s ability to mould the story into a good movie, unless the script has already proven its viability in another language.” Jaya Kumar, co-writer for Ram Gopal Varma’s forthcoming Sarkar 3 , says, “An ideal sports film, at a personal level, should be a triumph of an individual against all odds and at a collective level should be a reflection of the State in ensuring that the individual is given the opportunity, and dedicated to successes of sports stars while also being a tribute to the fallen angels who couldn’t make it – a case study of sorts.” One can only hope that a template-driven industry with a penchant for tried and tested formula would soon give way to vibrant stories, given the maturity levels of the present audiences and their eagerness to encourage a good story.
