Sports movies - The recent discussion around Chak De makes u wonder about the concept of sports movies - Sports movies are usually of two kinds( there may be more for the afficianados) - One that is based on real life incidents & the other fictional characters



While Hollywood has usually led the way in this, our own Bollywood tries churning out movies on similar lines - Unfortunately in our star struck film industry, movies rarely sell minus the stars and the big banners - Iqbal was an exception and the recent addition has been Chak de India - For a cricket crazy nation like ours, its an irony that we love watching sports but dont make sports movies - Compare this to States, wherein movies have been made on every story possible - Miracle( Herb Brooks leading US ice hockey team to victory), The Greatest Game Ever Played ( An amateaur Francis Ouimet beating most seasoned professionals like Harry Vardon / Ted Ray), Glory Road, Any Given Sunday, Glory Road, Remember the Titans, Chariots of Fire etc



Such movies tell u stories which you never thought could have happened - The impossible actually happens - The underdog comes back from behind and beats the champion - Its like a fairy tale ending with the difference that the fairy tale actually happened - Not to say such examples have managed to create history and have inspired people during those times - Glory Road is a movie about the first ever all black team which won the NCAA championships in the US - This probably played a great role in removal of racism in sports that any other legislation / movement



The question which comes to mind is that in a land of sports fanatic people, why are such movies in dearth here? There is no lack of love of sports - We have enough fanatics to put most fundamentalists to shame ( pl take this comment in good sport and dont bomb me) -
Then what explains the lack of it? Guess its the vision, its the ability to move out of ur comfort zone & create a new genre - Somehow I believe we use the pretext that the audience might not accept it - But come on, unless you would not try, how would you know

Last I heard, Christiano Ronaldo wouldnt be able to come for the promotion of GOAL - Wonder how many ppl actually watch EPL to figure out who the Portugese man might be? Mebbe they could have used Baichung Bhutia but then I guess thats not too upmarket for our film industry

Ending with Al Pacino's speech in Any given sunday - Personally this is the best movie dialogue delivery I've ever heard -
I don't know what to say really.Three minutesto the biggest battle of our professional livesall comes down to today.Eitherwe healas a teamor we are going to crumble.Inch by inchplay by playtill we're finished.We are in hell right now, gentlemenbelieve meandwe can stay hereand get the shit kicked out of usorwe can fight our wayback into the light.We can climb out of hell.One inch, at a time.Now I can't do it for you.I'm too old.I look around and I see these young facesand I thinkI meanI made every wrong choice a middle age man could make.I uh....I pissed away all my moneybelieve it or not.I chased offanyone who has ever loved me.And lately,I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror.You know when you get old in lifethings get taken from you.That's, that's part of life.But,you only learn that when you start losing stuff.You find out that life is just a game of inches.So is football.Because in either gamelife or footballthe margin for error is so small.I meanone half step too late or to earlyyou don't quite make it.One half second too slow or too fastand you don't quite catch it.The inches we need are everywhere around us.They are in ever break of the gameevery minute, every second.On this team, we fight for that inchOn this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around usto pieces for that inch.We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch.Cause we knowwhen we add up all those inchesthat's going to make the fucking differencebetween WINNING and LOSINGbetween LIVING and DYING.I'll tell you thisin any fightit is the guy who is willing to diewho is going to win that inch.And I knowif I am going to have any life anymoreit is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inchbecause that is what LIVING is.The six inches in front of your face.Now I can't make you do it.You gotta look at the guy next to you.Look into his eyes.Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.You are going to see a guywho will sacrifice himself for this teambecause he knows when it comes down to it,you are gonna do the same thing for him.That's a team, gentlemenand either we heal now, as a team,or we will die as individuals.That's football guys.That's all it is.Now, whattaya gonna do?

Match Point( Past 2)

Author's recommendation - It is suggested that for your understanding of this article & for increasing the dwindling viewership of my posts that you read Match Point ( Part 1) before you read this :-

After my initial tryst with tennis which made me aware of the existence of 206 bones in my body and their valuable contribution to the pain, cramps, sprains( etc etc), I decided to persist. Therein started a love affair which I'm afraid will last for a life time - And some ppl( very few) call me commitment phobic - Ha!!!!!!!

The court has magic - The lights that shine brightly has magic - The top spin of the slazenger ball( throwing names, u see) has magic - Hope the player in me would also acquires magic some day - There is nothing sweeter than the ball hitting the right spot on your racket - Speaking of rackets, I have managed to upgrade myself to a Wilson N code - was fooled into believeing that if you use the same racket which Federer does then your game improves dramatically

But on a more serious note, there is a time when time stops - For any self respecting player, the serve is something on which everyone works hard - Thats the only time when your opponent cant do anything but wait for you to either destroy him / her or give a chance to destroy you. When you are about to serve, the concentration is at its peak - Your body is taut with tension, your mind is focussed and you toss the ball - The time has stopped - You sit outside a court and watch it - Its exquisite - Its beautiful - And then the racket comes down in a circular motion and then there's contact - If the contact is gud, you feel the sensation in your body - Its smooth like a Laphroaig / Absolut - if it aint good, its like Bagpipers or Smirnoff (IMFL ones)

Have progressed decently in the past 1 yr in tennis - My coach gave me a compliment - Mind you I really dont think it sounds like a compliment but he insisted it is - So you decide - He said if i play for 18 more years, then I can win the tournament for 45 + ppl - He thinks its tougher to win that and I have started late - See told ya, it doesnt sound like a compliment

Signing off now - Will try and update my blog more often - Its cathartic

Tennis - Matchpoint ( Part 1)

Little did I know ten months back that this word would keep ringing into my ears as either the sweetest or the harshest word depending on my status in the match

It was around 10 months back when the organization I work for decided that the employees should have a healthy lifestyle - They struck a deal with a tennis academy for 6 people on a discounted fee basis - Mind it, the simpler way could have been to reduce our work load - But then you would have called it a non strategic solution - Hence the brilliant idea of making middle aged women / men run after a green ball which travels 10 times faster than them ( in some cases, 100)

Just for the clarification, I consider myself fairly young at 26 but the very few readers who would actually read this hold the right to disagree.

The responses from the employees was prompt - I also fell in the same category.

The next dilemma - You need a racket to play - The enthuthiast sportsman inside me prompted to buy one - And lo, I was the proud owner of a Wilson racket and few grands poorer!!!

The D-day arrived and with an anxious heart I reached the court - For those who step into the court for the first time with a racket, its a great high - You with this step distance yourself from the teeming millions who watch it on television

The coach and his assistant and their other disciples looked at me with suspicion / interest / .........

I looked around for familiar faces from my company for the ones who had volunteered and felt the same way as a general whose troops had deserted him - My friends had decided to desert before the ship sailed!!!!

Have to finish this abruptly - Shall continue with the second part soon

Ciao