International Film Festival of India starts separate section for sports films as genre strikes gold

The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which will be welcomed by Goa from November 20-28, will have a separate sports film section. Starting from this year, IFFI will bring to the audiences the best local and international sports films. There will also be open-air screenings as an extension of Khelo India branding. Sports biopics, both Indian and international, will be screened at the 49th IFFI.

All sports enthusiasts now have a chance to get a glimpse of the lives of their sporting heroes. The sports category at IFFI will highlight how sports is being used as an important theme for storytelling in cinema.

With nearly a dozen sports-based movie releases over the past couple of years and their box office success, it's little wonder that sports made it to IFFI as a separate category. And filmmakers alone are not obsessed with the idea of bringing sports to the big screen, the genre is trending amid the audiences as well.

From Lagaan to Chak De! India or Dangal to Gold, there is no denying that sports as the backdrop is a sell-able idea in Bollywood.

So why has the audiences’ appetite for sports stories increased? The primary reason for this is the evolving taste of viewers due to an increase in number of multiplexes and an invasion by Hollywood films in recent years, coupled with streaming services.

In addition, Indian sports stars are getting recognized internationally and that too is spurring interest in the genre.

But Bollywood’s love for sports is not new. It dates back to Prakash Jha's directorial debut Hip Hip Hurray as well as one of India's most loved sports drama — Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar.

While filmmakers never lost interest in sporting dramas, it was Aamir Khan’s Lagaan in 2001 that led to a spate of sports-based films. However, most of these were based on cricket.

Then came along Shimit Ami's Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chak De! India that gave a new direction to sports films. The hockey film proved that sports genre can succeed even if the subject isn't cricket.

And then there were films like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Paan Singh Tomar, Gold, Soorma, Sultan among others that focused on athletics, hockey and wrestling.

Although some filmmakers may have struck gold with sports, not all such films have done well. Movies like Patiala House, Hattrick, Salaam India Salaam, Victory, Meerabai Not Out, Chain Kulli Ki Main Kulli and Dil Bole Hadippa were unable to make a mark.

And this brings to the fore an important factor that is important for a sports film to do well — triumph of the human spirit or success of the underdog can be the winning formula for this genre.