Sports bio-pics in India

Indian biographical films of sportspeople are remarkable for deviating into fiction. Hardly ever we find a film that reveals the truth, especially about the incidents and the people who helped the latter-day heroes in their formative years.

To motivate young talents these bio-pics ought to seek and show the truth behind the great success stories. Why not reveal the names of people who worked behind the scenes when the young talents really needed encouragement and exposure? Why not interview at least some of the actual early coaches, the talent-spotters and the mentors?

Instead most of these films are full of misinformation. Unnecessary details and scenes are created in an effort to attract audiences and perhaps to satisfy influential egos. Is this supposed to be artistic licence where you can project an essential theme entirely oblivious of facts? I honestly wonder.

If one is handling fiction, that’s fine. But if one claims that one is revealing facts, one should at least stick to genuine truth. Shall give my discerning readers a few examples.

In an otherwise wonderful bio-pic depicting the life of India’s famous football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, the main actor’s role has been performed by a tall, strong, handsome man. In real life Rahim-sahab’s physique was puny-thin and his height very short.

Actor Ajay Devgn’s performance was outstanding but the problem is that the figure of the real Rahim was absolutely the opposite to the physique of the reel Rahim! Surely Rahim-sahab would be the first to admit that he never was a good-looking, strongly-built, tall person. The credibility of the bio-pic is in question.

“This is somewhat like Amitabh Bachchan playing the role of Lal Bahadur Shastri,” very convincingly asserted Subroto Rana Sirkar, the prominent former sports journalist and ‘strictly unofficial’ sports historian. Abslolutely to the point. Amitabh Bachchan would surely do a very good job of the role of Shastriji but if the physical forms of the individuals vary to such an extent then a wrong message would be conveyed to the cine-goers.

In another bio-pic on Milkha Singh it is specifically shown that Milkha Singh is taking a sidelong glance in the famous Rome Olympic 400 m race! In a sprint no one – not even in a school race – would look sideways at his opponents. Can you imagine an athlete in the Olympic Games glancing at his opponent during the course of a sprint? It is these fallacies that make these bio-pics look silly.

In a bio-pic on Sachin Tendulkar we are shown that at the net practice coins are placed on the stumps while young Tendulkar is batting. The coach’s idea was to encourage the bowlers to hit the stumps and win that coin as a prize. This concept is excellent, no doubt.

But this issue has been copied from Ranjitsinhji’s early cricketing life in England. Why not give credit to the original man? The Nawanagar prince while in England would privately practice against the best of English professional bowlers at the nets. In addition to their professional fees, he would keep a guinea on each stump to entice the bowlers to bowl him out and claim the coin as his prize!

Why do our bio-pic film-makers not involve the actual people who were behind these success stories? Why not mention and highlight the real people who may not be influential enough or well-known? Why harp on half-truths? Why not do a little more SINCERE research? Why not question the answers of the celebrities? Why force down trash on innocent audiences? Why not be truthful?

Wish our film-makers have a good look at ‘Crown’, a film on the British royalty over the years with ‘warts and all’.

Photo credit: Facebook