Last evening, while browsing through the content mix of ZEE5, I came across the teaser of its forthcoming sports drama,
Bombers and Oh, boy! Wasn't I mighty impressed? Right from the time it entered the OTT landscape, ZEE5 has been making waves with its unique and quality content, cutting across genres ranging from horror mystery to crime; and romcoms to dramas. Given the plethora of original and enthralling web-series (popularly known as ZEE5 Originals) that it offers to the OTT consumers to indulge in, no wonder it has succeeded in forging a deeper connection with them in no time. Now with this new show, 'Bombers' which will premiere on June 22, 2019, ZEE5 is stepping into new territory - the sports drama genre. But from what I have seen in the teaser, the story surely looks promising and binge-worthy and I'm sure ZEE5 will once again hit the bulls-eye with this web-series.
Set in Chandannagar, a former French colony in West Bengal, the story of 'Bombers' revolves around a football league team, the Bombers FC and their journey to victory. The web series is being produced by Horseshoe Motion Pictures and Banijay Asia and helmed by Vishal Furia, the talented director who has already earned international recognition for his very first two directorials, Lapachhapi (2017) and Bogie No S4. 'Bombers' also boasts of an impressive cast comprising of Varun Mitra (as Badol), Meiyang Chang (as Tokai), Ranvir Shorey (as Debu Da), Zakir Hussain (as Somu Da), Sapna Pabbi (as Andy), Prince Narula (as Bali), Aahana Kumra (as Sanjana) and Anup Soni (as Manik) among others. That apart, the passionate slogan, "Fort Et Fier Arikbaar, Bombers Baar Baar", gives one goose-bumps.
Such good-spirited, sports-based dramas definitely make for a pleasant watch. And the best part about them is that they are inspirational. Of course, nothing comes easy. Same as in life, in sports too, one may come across several obstacles and hindrances but with dedication and perseverance, one can surely vanquish those obstacles to emerge as a champion! Well, speaking of sports drama, there have been quite a few amazing sports-centric movies in Hindi. However, some movies still stand out from the rest, for the way they struck the right chord with the viewers. Here are 5 such sports-centric Hindi movies that had a strong cause at heart:
1. Lagaan
When we talk about Hindi movies based on sports, Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan has to be talked about. The 2001 film starring Aamir Khan in the lead role, was centred around cricket but had an equally moving storyline that instantly struck a chord with the audience. In fact, the movie checked almost all of the boxes that make sports dramas exciting - an engrossing plot, the underdogs triumphing in the end and some exciting cricket sequences. The film also had a very good supporting cast that included debutant Gracy Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Raj Zutshi, Pradeep Rawat, Akhilendra Mishra, Yashpal Sharma, Suhasini Mulay, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne and Aditya Lakhia among others. The movie was also nominated for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category.
2. Chak De! India
Produced by Yash Raj Films and directed by Shimit Amin, this 2007 movie although revolved around the game of hockey, it proved to be more than just a sports drama! The story of the underdogs - the Indian women's hockey team going on to win the World Cup was very inspirational. Besides teaching several key lessons about camaraderie and teamwork, the film showed a different facet of Shah Rukh Khan's acting skills - his restrained but superlative performance as coach Kabir Khan was certainly a high point in the movie. Not surprisingly, the film not only earned critical acclaim but also went on to win several awards including the National Award.
Such is the impact of the movie that even to this day, its title track is played whenever our national team performs well in any sport.
3. Gold
Another sports-centric movie that is a
delightful watch is the Reema Kagti directed, "Gold", that got released last year. This movie is centred around hockey but more precisely sheds light on how Independent India won its first Olympic gold medal (in the 1948 Summer Olympics). Tapan Das (played by Akshay Kumar) is the team manager of the hockey team that plays for British India and his team wins the Olympic Gold in Hockey in 1936 Olympics in Berlin. However, Tapan nurtures a dream to win the Olympic Gold for independent India. After gaining independence, how he meticulously picks the players for the Indian team and prepares them for Olympic glory forms the crux of the movie. Akshay Kumar has delivered a powerful performance and is ably supported by the rest of the cast.
4. Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal
Produced by Ronnie Screwvala under the banner of UTV Motion Pictures and directed by Vivek Agnihotri, Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal revolves around football. The story is about a football club - The Southall United Football Club in the UK that is on the verge of losing its ground to the city council which plans to build a shopping mall and multiplex in its place. Unless the Southall team, comprising of amateurs (working-class British Asians) and led by Arshad Warsi, wins the CCFL (a football league), they wouldn't be able to save their club ground. Whether they are able to do that or not is what the story is all about.
5. Substitute
This football-centric film was shot by Vikash Dhorasoo, the former French player (but of Indian origin), in which he recorded his thoughts and emotions while sitting out of the playing eleven. He was selected in France's 2006 World Cup soccer team. However, while he played every game for his national team in the lead up to the World Cup, once the World Cup started, (barring two matches) he was suddenly dropped from the playing eleven in rest of the matches. The movie gives an insight into how a substitute player feels while watching his team play, from the sidelines. Although it's a documentary, 'Substitute' surely touches one's heart.
Similarly, I have high expectations from the upcoming web-series, 'Bombers'. I am a die-hard football fan and 'Bombers', being centred around football, will surely have plenty of excitement-inducing football sequences. Of course, in India, cricket still rules but football too is gaining ground and its popularity is growing appreciably. Moreover, the way ZEE5 has been constantly pushing the boundaries with each of its new web-series, I am expecting 'Bombers' too to be a class apart. So I am very excited about the show and am looking forward to it. You too can catch Bombers on ZEE5 from 22nd June onwards.
