Getting sporty

Sports never really fired the imagination of Bollywood directors until Chak De! India happened three years ago. Now, a slew of movies inspired by real life sports personalities are being readied to bowl out audiences.

Sports never really fired the imagination of Bollywood directors until Chak De! India happened three years ago. Now, a slew of movies inspired by real life sports personalities are being readied to bowl out audiences.

Paan Singh Tomar, Thank You and Bhag Milkha Bhag are being touted as sports films that’ll bring to the screen twists and turns in the lives of Indian champs.

Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia is busy with the biopic on Paan Singh Tomar, a national steeplechase champion who ultimately left the army and the track to became a bandit. The film stars Irrfan Khan in the title role and Mahi Gill as his wife.

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Filmmaker Anees Bazmee is making Thank You, in which actress Sonam Kapoor’s character is said to be loosely inspired by tennis star Sania Mirza. “Sonam’s character is not based on Sania Mirza; it’s just inspired by her,” Bazmee said.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is working on a film titled Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, based on athlete Milkha Singh, also known as the Flying Sikh who came fourth in the 1960 Rome Olympics. “This guy had nothing and still he made a spectacular success of his life. I’d be depicting his life from age 13 to the age of 28,” said Mehra.

While Akshay Kumar and Abhishek Bachchan are the frontrunners for the title role, no one has been finalised yet. The film will be scripted by Prasoon Joshi.