PremiumMaidaan streams on Prime Video (rent) - Kick off with these football-themed Bollywood films
Football fever in Bollywood with films that capture the heart and soul of the game.
Last Updated: 03.02 PM, May 22, 2024
Hindi films with a football theme have captivated audiences in India because of the compelling stories that combine sports, personal struggles, and social issues. You can watch inspiring biopics like Maidaan, which is about India's famous football coach Syed Abdul Rahim and is available to rent on Prime Video, or you can watch uplifting stories about acceptance and endurance like Chidiakhana. Both of these films honour the beautiful game and its spirit. A biopic on Slum Soccer's coach, Jhund, and an examination of the hardships endured by a teenage footballer from Northeast India, Penalty, are two other noteworthy mentions. These films showcase the enduring allure and unifying force of football in a variety of settings, from the chaotic streets of Mumbai to the tranquil vistas of Kashmir.
Football-based films in Bollywood
Chidiakhana
In Manish Tiwary's 2023 coming-of-age sports drama Chidiakhana, a Bihari boy finds acceptance in a Mumbai chawl as a result of his intelligence, tenacity, and football skills. Ritvik Sahore plays Sooraj, while Rajeshwari Sachdev plays his mother. They arrive at a chawl in Mumbai. Gangs at school make it hard for Sooraj to focus on his game and relax. In Chidiakhana, Sooraj battles for his position. Prashant Narayanan, a powerful figure in the local chawl, greatly enhances his humble hopes. The cards turn for our underdog. An underdog triumphs against all odds in Manish Tiwary's latest film.
Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (Netflix)
Vivek Agnihotri was in charge of directing the 2007 sports drama film Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. John Abraham, Arshad Warsi, Bipasha Basu, and Boman Irani are the film's stars. Through professional football, Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal tells a modern fictional story about the UK's South Asian community. Once a famous club until 1984, the Asian Southall Football Club now serves as a wedding venue. A small group of Asians who regularly use the facility came together to prevent its permanent closure when they learned that their lease was up for renewal.
Hip Hip Hurray (Prime Video and ZEE5 [OTTplay Premium])
Gulzar wrote and Prakash Jha directed the sports drama Hip Hip Hurray in 1984. Nikhil Bhagat made his acting debut alongside Raj Kiran and Deepti Naval. This was Prakash Jha's first feature film as a filmmaker. While he waits for his first job to start, Sandeep Chowdhary, played by Raj Kiran, takes a temporary position as a sports instructor at a school in Ranchi. He develops a bond with Deepti Naval, the history teacher, and the callous principal, played by Ram Gopal Bajaj, while there. Under his leadership, the football team triumphs.
Jhund (ZEE5 [OTTplay Premium])
The biographical sports film Jhund is about the life of Slum Soccer founder Vijay Barse. Amitabh Bachchan, Akash Thosar, Rinku Rajguru, and Ankush Gedam are among the stars of Nagraj Manjule's film, which he also wrote and directed. The story of Vijay Barse, a former sports teacher and founder of the non-governmental organisation Slum Soccer, serves as inspiration for the film. He transformed a group of street youngsters into a football team by guiding them away from criminality and drugs and helping them rehabilitate.
Maidaan (Prime Video on rent)
Amit Ravindernath Sharma co-wrote and directed the biographical sports drama film Maidaan, which stars Ajay Devgn as Syed Abdul Rahim, a creative football coach in India from 1952 to 1962. Maidaan is based on the life of the finest football coach in India, who was active from 1952 until 1962. His dedication and enthusiasm are the key points. Despite dealing with systemic issues, Coach Syed Abdul Rahim managed to assemble a fantastic team from scratch. Regardless, under his leadership, the squad won gold at the 1956 Olympics and silver at the following Asian Games. It is a tale of dogged persistence and the surmounting of seemingly impossible obstacles.
Penalty
Lukram, a football fan from Manipur, is the protagonist of the 2019 sports film Penalty, also starring Kay Kay Menon. Shubham Singh directs the film, in which Lukram (Lukram Smil), a football hopeful from Manipur, enrols at SRMU, a Lucknow school renowned for producing players for the national team. The university team's forward, Ishwar Singh (Manjot Singh), who lives with Lukram, assists him in getting into the tryouts. Parth (Shashank Arora), the assistant coach, is so impressed with Lukram that he proposes his inclusion in the starting eleven. But other players and officials treat Lukram differently because of his Northeast Indian heritage. Feeling disheartened, he returns to his hometown. He decides to return and join the Street Club after getting some advice from his previous instructor. The club's coach, Chandan (Akash Dabhade), oversaw a group of skilled but economically disadvantaged players. After impressing the college team in an exhibition match, Lukram manages to persuade manager Vikram Singh (Kay Kay Menon), who has a history of being against "outsiders" on the squad, to let him back into the squad.
Sikandar (Disney+ Hotstar)
Piyush Jha wrote and directed the 2009 crime drama Sikandar. Sanjay Suri, Ayesha Kapur, and R. Madhavan join Parzan Dastur, the film's lead actor, in supporting roles. The film's setting is the fight against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Since the militants killed Sikandar Raza's parents ten years ago, the 14-year-old has lived with his aunt and uncle in Kashmir. The young boy is an easy target for bullies because he is somewhat of an outsider at school, despite his aspirations to provide a better life for his family through the realization of his football talent. While walking home from a school football game, Sikandar comes across a handgun on the ground. Sikandar takes up the gun, thinking it will solve all of his issues, even though his new friend Nasreen advises him against it. Innocently entangled in political intrigue, Sikandar meets a young guy in the woods while playing with a pistol. The man instructs him in the art of shooting, but the young man is not what he seems. Unbeknownst to Nasreen, Sikandar becomes even more enmeshed in events beyond his control, resulting in the tragic loss of innocent lives. The plot progresses, and it becomes clear that Sikandar is a helpless bystander caught in the middle of a power struggle involving the religious leaders of the little Kashmiri town, the peace-bartering politicians, the army, and the terrorists.
The Goal
Irrfan Khan plays the role of a coach in Gul Bahar Singh's 1999 drama film The Goal, which is based on a short tale by Bengali writer Prafulla Roy. The Indian Children's Film Society released the film. Tapas Dhali portrays Manu, a young boy from a poor household who loves to play football but faces rejection from every team he tries to join. Irrfan Khan's character, Anupam, a football coach, notices Manu's talent and agrees to be his coach. The other players and their parents refused to play with Manu due to his lower caste and his father's thievery, but after some time coaching Manu, coach Anupam decides he's eligible and chooses to play him in a club semifinal match. Since Anupam is powerless to prevent the loss of such a gifted player, he switches Manu to play for the opposing club.
Tu Hai Mera Sunday (Disney+ Hotstar)
Milind Dhaimade wrote and directed the 2016 slice-of-life film Tu Hai Mera Sunday, starring Shiv Kumar Subramaniam, Barun Sobti, Shahana Goswami, Avinash Tiwary, Vishal Malhotra, and Rasika Dugal. The plot revolves around a group of five friends in Mumbai, a bustling and noisy metropolis, and what happens when they call off their beach football game on a Sunday. In this film, five friends from Mumbai seek out some quiet time to play football, a sport that allows them to forget about their problems and live in the moment.