Ranveer Singh’s '83 is set to challenge M.S. Dhoni - The Untold Story as Bollywood’s highest grossing cricket film

Ranveer Singh in '83, which releases in theatres on December 24. 2021. (Image: Screen grab from trailer)

When it comes to sports in Bollywood films, cricket has always been a hot favourite. Decades ago, Aamir Khan had featured in Awaal Number. Later, he also gave the industry its most acclaimed film with cricket as its backdrop, Lagaan. Now, as '83 releases on Friday, expectations from this film are already sky-high.

Let’s take a look at the Kabir Khan-directed film and also the other notable cricket-based films in recent times, along with their box office earnings.

'83

Ranveer Singh plays Kapil Dev in '83, set around the famous win that the Indian cricket team had over West Indies in the World Cup finals. The film is directed by Kabir Khan. Going by the kind of scale and canvas that the film boasts of, this production of Deepika Padukone, Sajid Nadiadwala, Kabir Khan, Vishnuvardhan Induri, Reliance Entertainment and Phantom Films should turn out to be a big earner before 2021 comes to a close. The film that it would be challenging at the box office? M.S. Dhoni-The Untold Story.

M.S. Dhoni-The Untold Story - Rs133.5 crore

In terms of revenue, M.S. Dhoni-The Untold Story was a big bucks affair; it opened huge and then went on to bring in audiences in a big way. Based on the life and times of ex-Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, this Neeraj Pandey film was an excellent entertainer where Sushant Singh Rajput gave a very good account of himself.

Lagaan - Rs30 crore

This one caught everyone was surprise. Just about no one could have imagined a Hindi film set in pre-independence times to have cricket as an integral element. But filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker made it possible with Lagaan that has attained cult classic status over the years. Aamir Khan had strong conviction in the film and audiences nodded in approval as well.

Patiala House - Rs31 crore

With racism as its central element, this Nikkhil Advani-directed film deserved to cover a good distance but unfortunately went unnoticed. Akshay Kumar featured as an Indian cricketer in this film set in the U.K. with Rishi Kapoor in an important role as well. The film was set as a family social drama with cricket as an integral part of the narrative.

Iqbal - Rs4.5 crore

Nagesh Kukunoor directed a sensitive tale of a mute cricketer (played by Shreyas Talpade) who is coached by former star-turned-drunkard (Naseeruddin Shah). A small film with a big heart, Iqbal went on to win critical acclaim as well as reasonable commercial success in the times when multiplex cinema was just blossoming.

Ferrari Ki Sawaari - Rs32 crore

After making Munnabhai MBBS, filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra took a slice-of-life route with Ferrari Ki Sawaari which had child actor Ritvik Sahore (now grown up and playing adult roles) enacting the part of a cricketer. The film also starred Sharman Joshi and Boman Irani in key roles, and went on to become a surprise commercial success. A light-hearted film by Rajesh Mapuskar, this one was about dreaming big.

Sachin: A Billion Dreams - Rs51 crore

Very few documentaries manage to find a theatrical release as well. Sachin: A Billion Dreams was an exception, as it told the story of one of the greatest cricketers in the world, Sachin Tendulkar. The film did cover decent ground, though given the man at its centre, it deserved to be showcased in a much bigger fashion.

Azhar - Rs33 crore

Emraan Hashmi played the title role of Azhar in this Tony D'Souza directed film which was a biopic of India's ex-cricket captain, Mohammad Azharuddin. While it aimed to narrate the tale of one of India's mightiest cricketers, it became entangled in trying to clear his name of the match-fixing charge. Though well-made, the film couldn't cover much distance.

Jannat - Rs32 crore

Prior to Azhar, Emraan Hashmi had gone into the darker side of affairs with Jannat where he actually played a man involved in cricket-betting and match-fixing. Powered by chartbuster music, this Kunal Deshmukh directed film was well-made too and found love from the audience. An out and out commercial masala affair, it later found a sequel as well.