Tollywood’s list of incredible sports movies to binge on

Movies based on sports have always received a thumbs-up from Bengali movie lovers. For a state which has made our country proud in Football and gifted Indian Cricket a brave-heart captain like Sourav Ganguly, Tollywood has surprising made very few numbers of sports films. Yet, we have some elite exceptions; films such as 'Lorai', 'Chalo Paltai' or the memorable 'Kony' which have mesmerised as well as motivated us in many ways. Here we have listed these Tollywood sports movies which you shouldn’t miss.

Parambrata Chatterjee directed 'Lorai' follows the classic theme - the rise of the dark horses. An alcoholic former footballer (Prosenjit Chatterjee) was given the task to engage the youth of a politically disturbed village in Purulia district organising football camps. Later, the same authority, the West Bengal sports minister tries to stop the project and it doesn't go well with the retired footballer. Now, his newly formed team has to perform well in a match against a fearsome Kolkata Ekadosh to continue the project.

The history of Indian football witnessed a red letter day on July 29, 1911, when Bengal's Mohun Bagan club beat East Yorkshire Regiment representing the British emperor. It was the first time an Indian team won the IFA shield. Among the eleven footballers Mohun Bagan fielded that day, ten played the final match and also the entire tournament barefooted against the British team with much better facilities. The 2011 sports drama 'Egaro' revolves around the story of that historical match and the iconic footballers who redefined patriotism by giving the Swadeshi movement a new life.

'Chalo Paltai' follows the intriguing story of an aspiring cricketer and his father Subhomoy who wouldn't welcome his kid's passion for Cricket and often coerce him to improve his grades. One day the father-son confrontation goes horribly wrong and the young cricketer lands up in hospital. This completely changes Subhomoy's views towards the world and the film finds a positive note at the end as he manages to convince the Bengal’s Chief Minister for reconsidering the age-old education system. His son makes a brilliant comeback as a cricketer as he scored a century in his debut match.

Based on the novel by Moti Nandi, 'Kony' is a National Award winning Bengali classic which tells the story of an underprivileged young swimmer Kony, who stands tall against all odds challenging poverty, politics, social stigmas, and other barriers. 'Koni' also revolves around the struggle of Khidda (Soumitra Chatterjee), the swimming coach, who scouts the talented girl in a slum and guides her to win the National Swimming Championship. The movie is still considered as a perfect example of a coach and player relationship.

'Saheb' directed by Bijoy Basu is a heart-touching, tragic story of a talented young footballer (Tapas Pal) who despite being a poor student exhibits his superb talent as a player. While almost all the family members, except his sister-in-law, would not back the young man, Saheb follows his passion and finally called up for the national team. Sadly, before he could leave for Delhi, he discovers his family needs money for his sister’s marriage and plans to arrange the money by sacrificing his career.

In a village where football is like religion, Uttam Kumar was cast as a middle-aged man whose day begins and ends with nothing but football. As an owner of a regional football club, he seeks only the champion's trophy. However, the irony is the enemy club’s owner is also desperate to win the match. The match itself turns out to be a fun-filled event when Uttam Kumar's club scores ten goals. Furious villagers interfere and things ultimately take a hilarious turn. 'Dhanyee Meye' also gave us 'Sob Khelar Shera' by Manna Dey, the beloved football anthem we still hum.

Lionel Messi is the spirit of this Bengali film, where the soccer wizard turns out to be a metaphor for Bengal’s passion for football. Director Ringo Banerjee tries to capture our almost instinctive love for the game. The passion is reflected in every nook and corner of West Bengal - from villages to towns to cities. Soumitra Chatterjee's grandson Ronodeep Bose and Aryann Bhowmik played the two central characters as para footballers.

Directed by Debasish Sen Sharma and Sumit Das, ‘Bicycle Kick’ leaves an impression that lasts long. The sports drama tells the story of an introvert guy Rubayet (Saurav Banerjee) who comes to Kolkata to study. One day he was passing by a football ground and when a ball comes towards him, he gets unusually shaken and leaves the scene. Moti Nandi (Ritwick Chatterjee), the coach on the ground, realizes that something is not right with Rubayet. A few days later Moti intentionally throws a ball at him. Rubayet receives the ball quite skillfully and returns it in a way which is only possible for an extremely talented footballer. What happens next is the film all about.