As we get ready to watch > biopics on Mohammad Azharuddin and M.S. Dhoni , and hear of new ones being planned on Saina Nehwal and Abhinav Singh Bindra, a look back at the sports films of the recent past indicates a pattern. Popular Hindi cinema always burdens its sportspersons with the weight of nationalism. For most of its duration, > Mary Kom (2014) sees its protagonist’s ambition as deeply personal. And yet this changes as the film moves towards its end. The song “ Dil Ye Ziddi Hai ” gives way to “ Salaam India ” which plays in the background during Mary’s gruelling practice session. Mary is forced to shout at the sports federation that she is an “Indian at heart”. The film ends with the national anthem as Mary wins her fourth world boxing champion title, and people are shown as standing up in deference. The scroll on the screen asks the film’s audience to stand up too.
Not only is this sudden dose of nationalism at odds with Mary’s story till then, it also disregards the history of Manipur, the place Mary comes from, and its fraught relationship with the Indian nation. The film needed the passions generated by nationalism to make sense of Mary’s achievement.
> Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) did this too, when it ended with Milkha Singh winning a race in Pakistan. This was shown as a culmination of his achievement, having extra significance because it was against Pakistan, with Milkha’s coach shouting “ Bharat Mata Ki Jai! ” as he is celebrating.
Ironically, both these biopics are of sportspersons who belong to the fringes of the nation — a Manipuri woman and a Sikh refugee who lost everything during the Partition. This can be said about the protagonists of other sports biopics too — Chambal’s Paan Singh Tomar (2010), or child marathoner Budhia Singh in the upcoming Duronto .
Interest in sport Interestingly, in both Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and > Paan Singh Tomar the protagonists’ initial interest in running is due to reasons other than sport. Milkha and Paan Singh start running because it is the prospect of availability of food which lures them. During his first run, Milkha motivates himself by chanting “milk”. These are revelatory moments which indicate how the athletes, many of whom come from marginalised backgrounds, first get involved in sports.
This involvement also seems to be about wanting prestige and respect. Milkha wants to own the Indian blazer because he realises that the person wearing it gets respect and attention. At different moments Paan Singh expresses sadness at how he never got recognition for his wins. This emotion is more complex than wanting to do something for the nation; it seems to be about visibility — wanting to be seen and heard in a nation which otherwise ignores these sportspersons. In its own way, it is a critique.
The danger of a nationalist lens To some extent, Chak De! India ’s (2007) crux was exactly this, as it showed the danger of linking patriotism with sports. Though a fictional story inspired by real events, the film helps us understand Bollywood’s nationalist lens. Kabir Khan as the hockey coach is motivated solely by the need to clear his name of suspicion. This could have been an individual’s desire for respect, but it is articulated only as patriotism. Though the film was refreshing in critiquing the way Kabir was treated because he was a Muslim, it had to do this by balancing it with Kabir’s often excessive patriotism. And the fact that he needed to win to prove it. What if Kabir Khan’s team of girls had not won the world cup tournament in the end?
It is Paan Singh Tomar, dedicated to “unsung heroes of Indian sports”, which is one of those rare films free of this nationalist lens. This is not the story of a “winner” who can be easily appropriated by a nationalist narrative. It charts the story of a national-level runner who is forced to become a dacoit, but who sees himself as a rebel. A sequence in the film inverts the idea of the nation appropriating an individual’s achievement. This is when Paan Singh goes to a policeman asking for help as his son was beaten up due to a family feud. The cop is insensitive, asking him to prove who he says he is, and then refusing to help him. Paan Singh then asks him in anger — “ Desh Ke Liye Faltu Bhaage Hum? (Was running for the country a waste?)”. The honesty of the question stands out. It sees the nation from his perspective, not the other way round. I wish more films had the honesty to do this.
Aakshi Magazine is a PhD Student at the University of St Andrews, U.K. and a freelance writer.
