From Cricket to Bollywood, several personalities have left their marks and entertained the audience. The sports genre led to the success of many films when it comes to making biopics. Definitely the favourite sport of Indians, Cricket has left a deep impact on the box office. Biopics made on the lives of legendary cricketers, such as Kapil Dev, M.S. Dhoni, etc. won the hearts of many. In addition to their stories, the films made us proud to be Indians.
Take “83”, for instance, a recent launch of 2022 portrays the life of Kapil Dev and the way he made the team win at the Cricket World Cup 1983. Kapil’s chance to prove his captaincy made the film interesting. “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story” is one such story based on the life of Dhoni. The film showcases the various stages of his life, his transformation from the railway industry to the cricket industry, and from his girlfriend to the girl he marries.
“Sachin: A Billion Dreams” is a documentary about Sachin’s life. He himself, along with many other cricketers appear in the film. The movie depicts the way he achieves his dream of becoming a successful cricketer. There are other such biopics as well based on the life stories of cricketers, but there are some deserving cricketers as well who deserve a biopic based on their story. Following are some of them:
Rahul Dravid
“The Wall” of the Indian cricket team with hardly any previous records of fights or verbal abuses. He is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian team, born in a Marathi family. Raised in Bangalore, he represented the state at under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels. He was given the title of the wall because of his ability to guide the team during the hardest times, his ability to soak up the pressure when the team is in trouble is what made him special. Focus and concentration remain his strongest strengths. Being one of the finest batsmen ever, he earned the respect of many.
Honoured with some of the highest civilian awards, such as Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards, he deserves a Biopic. When he was once asked about his biopic, he wished to appear in the film. In other words, he wants to act his own role in the biopic. In 2011, he announced his retirement from T20 International and ODIs and in the succeeding year, from international and first-class cricket as well. He even captained Rajasthan Royals in the 2012 Indian Premier League. ICC Cricket Hall of Fame included this great cricketer. At the time of retirement, he was the one to score the second-highest runs and highest catches in Test cricket.
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar, a former cricketer who served India for around 16 years, from 1971 to 1987 and as a cricket commentator, is probably one of the best opening batsmen of all time. He also received Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan and got included in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009. Born in a Marathi family, he became one of the best cricketers during his school days. He made his test debut and won the match in West Indies. He holds various records, one of which is being the first Test cricket player to score over 10,000 runs. “Sunny Days: Sunil Gavaskar’s Own Story” is a book based on his autobiography.
Virat Kohli
A pure heartthrob and team India’s former captain, who married the beautiful Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma. With 40 wins out of 68 test matches, he emerged as the best Test captain in Indian history. The cricketer won the highest sporting award of India, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, along with Padma Shri and Arjuna Award. Virat received immense love and fame from his fans all over the world, which led to his inclusion in some well-known lists and records. Born and brought up in a Punjabi family in Delhi, he began by playing school tournaments and domestic matches. Kohli received the spotlight when he scored 90 runs against Karnataka when his father faced death and he went to the funeral after completing the match.
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
The “Tiger Pataudi” of Team India, regarded as one of the greatest captains of all time, served the team for 19 years. He faced death at the age of 70 due to a lung infection. Born in a nawab family in Bhopal, he was the son of a renowned cricketer, Iftikhar Ali Khan. Awarded with the Arjuna Award and Padma Shri, the cricketer earned a place in many fans’ hearts. He seems to already have a connection with Bollywood because two out of his three children are in the acting industry. Yes, you are guessing right, he is the father of Saif Ali Khan, Soha Ali Khan and Saba Ali Khan, who is a fashion designer. He wrote the autobiography “Tiger’s Tale” in 1969. Such legendary personalities’ stories should be displayed to the public through a biopic. The older generation awaits Biopics on such cricketers.
Sourav Ganguly
“Dada”, the moment an Indian hears this word, he/she not only thinks about Sourav Ganguly but can hear the echo of stadium voices cheering his name. He is called so because Dada means elder brother in Bengali. He paved his journey well from a captain to a commentator to the president of the Cricket Council BCCI. Popularly known as the Maharaja of Indian cricket, he belongs to a Bengali family from Kolkata. Initially, he was interested in football but gradually, he got attracted to Cricket and was supported by his brother, who also played this sport. Ganguly made it to various records and titles, even received one of the most prestigious awards, Padma Shri.
Yuvraj Singh
A former international cricketer, who is known for his aggressive batting style and ability to play as an all-rounder. He won various “Player of the Series” awards in his career. Born in a Punjabi family, roller skating and tennis contained his interest, but inspired by his father, a cricketer, Yograj Singh, he too entered the game. Called Yuvi by his loved ones, he even earned the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri. The cricketer was injured by a cancerous tumour in 2011, restraining him to play cricket for around 1-1.5 years. He underwent some cycles of chemotherapy to cure him. His “Six sixes” in an over moment popularised him in 2007 when he became the second cricketer in International cricket history to smash these many sixes in an over. In 2019, Yuvi retired from all forms of international cricket.
Virendra Sehwag
Regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen of all time, he served India from 1999 to 2015. He belonged to a Jat family, who supported his passion for playing cricket since his school days. Sehwag retired from all forms of international cricket in 2015. He holds multiple records, including the highest score of 319 made by any Indian cricketer in Test cricket. He became the first Indian to receive the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World award.
Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina, a former Indian cricket player, belongs to a Kashmiri Pandit family. He holds the title of being the second-youngest player to captain India. He played for Chennai Super Kings as vice-captain and as a captain for Gujarat Lions, who came into the league for two years. On Independence day of 2020, Raina announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket.
Anil Kumble
This legendary cricketer cum coach played for his country for over 18 years. Widely recognized as one of the best leg-spin bowlers, he holds some extraordinary records. He was born in Bangalore, and while watching some great cricketers as he grew up, he made his debut at the age of 19. He not only won the hearts of his fans but also received Padma Shri. In 2008, he retired from international cricket. He even mentored Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL for a few years.
Rohit Sharma
The current captain of the Indian team is recognized as one of the best cricketers in limited-overs cricket. He also captains Mumbai Indians in IPL and the team won a record of five times under his leadership. Rohit, who was born in Nagpur, received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award and Arjuna Award. In honour of his sportsmanship, he received many awards and will continue to do so. He also supports various social causes and is involved with WWF India and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). He, along with Hollywood actors Salma Hayek and Matt LeBlanc, joined an anti-poaching campaign to save wild African animals in Kenya. Being a good human too along with good captaincy marks his unique personality.
All these cricketers have worked all their life to achieve the position they are in today. Biopics on these cricketers would be something to honour them and let the public know their story. There are various biopics on the way on some famous cricketers, such as, “Shabaash Mithu” for Mithali Raj and “Kaun Pravin Tambe” for Pravin Tambe. Such biopics, not only entertain the public but also reminds them of the struggles faced by some recognizable players. Such films serve as an inspiration for many aspirants across the globe. Cricket has not only remained one of the most popular and important sports for Indians but will continue to gain its importance. Now that you’ve read about them, let us wait together for biopics on these cricketers to be made and released. However, till then we can watch the ones made already.