Hockey pips cricket with 4 flicks this year

CHANDIGARH: While cricket lords over TV and even big screens, hockey too is catching the fancy of filmmakers with four movies slated to be released in 2018 about India’s national sport. Two of these movies are being made in Hindi and the other two are in Punjabi.
The movies include ‘Gold’ and ‘Soorma’ in Hindi and ‘Harjeeta’ and ‘Khido Khundi’ in Punjabi.‘Gold,’ directed by Reema Kagti, is based on India’s first gold medal in the men’s hockey event in the 1948 London Olympics as an independent nation and stars Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar.
‘Soorma’ is a biopic on dragflicker Sandeep Singh of Shahabad Markanda in Haryana, which depicts his dramatic comeback to the Indian team after being accidentally shot in the abdomen during a train journey in 2006 to be placed by singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh.
‘Good to see many movies being made on hockey’
The third movie ‘Harjeeta’ is about Harjeet Singh who captained India to victory in the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup at Lucknow in December 2016 played by Ammy Virk. Similarly, another movie about the game is a fictional story on Sansarpur village of Jalandhar, which is known as the cradle of hockey having produced a record 14 Olympians in the sport.
Olympian Sukhbir Singh Gill is very pleased after watching the trailers of ‘Khido Khundi.’ “Right from players to normal cine-goers, everyone has liked the trailer. It is a good sign to see so many movies being made about hockey, at least the game will get exposure on the big screens,” said the former Indian halfback who represented India in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Triple hockey Olympian and former Indian captain Pargat Singh said, “Stories about sports and sportspersons are always inspirational and movies about these always encourage budding players. For instance, ‘Bhaag Milka Bhaag’ about Milkha Singh was truly inspiring and was liked by movie fans all over,” said the hockey player-turned-politician who is now Congress MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment constituency.
Seconding his views, double Olympian Harpreet Singh Mander, who represented India in Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996) Olympics, said youngsters were always attracted to cinema, so movies on hockey would also catch their attention. “Young audience will get to watch the stories of players and how they overcame adversities to reach to the top. I think movies about hockey will give a fillip to the game that is considered to be played predominantly in rural or semi-urban areas,” said Mander, who is now posted as superintendent of police (investigations) in Hoshiarpur.
Veteran Olympian Colonel Balbir Singh (retired), president of Sansarpur Hockey Association, said movies based on the lives of players also offer an insight into how they fought the tough circumstances to reach to the top. “Movie about Harjeet will motivate many children from humble backgrounds to take up hockey since he beat the odds to lead India to the junior World Cup triumph. Further, the film story about our village Sansarpur will also tell youngsters about our rich hockey legacy and our glorious past,” said Col Balbir, who played in the Mexico Olympics (1968) where Indian hockey team won the bronze medal.