If you’re in the mood to confront reality through entertainment, these upcoming Indian films inspired by true events will hit the mark this season.
Biopics are not new to Bollywood. Even though they are often dramatized and romanticized to some degree for good storytelling, what lingers behind is the impactful and thought-provoking story behind these films. In 2022 we have new releases galore, and many of them are based on true stories.
Upcoming Bollywood Movies Based On True Incidents
Runway 34
This upcoming thriller, directed and produced by Ajay Devgn, who also stars in the film, is based on real events that made headlines in 2015. Formerly titled Help, the film revolves around the 2015 Jet Airways Doha-Kochi flight, which had a tight breakaway due to poor weather and low visibility. The captain of the flight with 150 passengers on board had to make a “blind” landing on the runway without being able to see it. As a result, he was downgraded to co-pilot status. The film also features Amitabh Bachchan, Rakul Preet Singh and Boman Irani.
Prithviraj
This upcoming film is based on the heroism of the valiant hearted king Prithviraj Chauhan who fought against Muhammad of Ghor. Directed by Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi and produced by Yash Raj Films, Prithviraj stars Akshay Kumar and Manushi Chillar, who makes his Bollywood debut with this film. Also starring Sanjay Dutt and Sonu Sood in key roles, this historical action drama is a biopic of a legendary warrior king in the First Battle of Tarain.
Shabaash Mithu
Next on the list of films based on true events, we have a sports biopic. We don’t have many Bollywood movies based on female athletes except for Mary Kom. Shabaash Mithu is the biopic of legendary cricketer and current Test and ODI Captain of India Women’s National Cricket Team, Mithali Raj. Directed by Srijit Mukherji and produced by Viacom18 Studios, the film stars Taapsee Pannu. Recently, she shared the first look from the film on her Instagram, where she can be seen donning the blue jersey.
Major
Major is a biographical action drama directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka, produced by Sony Pictures India. This film, based on real incidents, traces the journey of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who sacrificed his life saving people during the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Starring Telugu actor Adivi Sesh, the film was supposed to be released earlier this year but was postponed due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases during the third wave of the pandemic.
Rocket: The Nambi Effect
Based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist and aerospace engineer of the Indian Space Research Organization, Rocket: The Nambi Effect is next on the list of movies based on true events. Written, produced and directed by Madhavan, it also stars as the titular lead. The story spans the life of the scientist who was falsely accused of espionage, from his days as a graduate student at Princeton University to his days working at ISRO. The film also focuses on how he fought for years for justice.
Maidaan
Revisiting history and telling us the story of the golden age of Indian football, Maidaan takes on Ajay Devgn as the protagonist. He plays the role of coach Syed Abdul Rahim, who trained, guided and led the Indian football team to win the Asian Games in 1951 and 1962. The film depicts the various aspects of the most notable decade of the history of Indian football, from 1952 till 1962. Directed by Amit Sharma, the film also stars Keerthy Suresh.
Pipa
Pipa is a war movie starring Ishaan Khatter, Mrunal Thakur and Priyanshu Painyuli. The film is directed by Raja Krishna Menon and co-produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur. Playing the role of war hero Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta, Ishaan Khatter will be seen in a never-before-seen avatar. Based on the book The Burning Chaffees by Brigadier Mehta, Pipa is about an Indian soldier who fought in the war against Pakistan in 1971.
Sam Bahadur
Speaking of actors in never-before-seen avatars and movies based on real incidents, we have another movie based on a war hero, Sam Bahadur. Starring Vicky Kaushal as Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, this is her second war film with director Meghna Gulzar after the superhit Raazi. Sam Manekshaw had a military career that spanned four decades and five wars. He was the very first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal, and his military victory in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War led to the creation of Bangladesh.
All images: Courtesy of Instagram
