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This could, well, be the year of sports films. It started with a couple of films woven around cricket which were weak in content and were not helped by India’s performance in the World Cup. But ‘Chak De India’ turned the tide. Still running, the film proved a true blue sports film can work in this country. And it doesn’t have to be cricket to bring in the audience. This November it is going to be football, as UTV brings in the much-awaited ‘Goal’ to theatres leaving the ‘Hattrick’ failure behind.

Director Vivek Agnihotri says the film is based on a real life incident when in February 1958, a chartered aircraft bringing the Manchester United team back from a European Cup match against Belgrade in Yugoslavia stopped at Munich’s Riem Airport to refuel. On the third attempt to take off, the plane overshot the runway and burst into flames. Seven Manchester United footballers were among the 21 killed. “They had to rebuild the team from scratch but they showed amazing spirit and went on to win one game after the other,” says Vivek.

So Manchester United has become Southhall United on the reel. On the viability of soccer on reel, Vivek says, “Football is the most cinema-friendly sport because it hardly has any pauses.” He says that the underlying theme of the film focuses on how the South Asians living in England unite to form this team. “UTV has given it everything to make it a grand project. It is the first film in the world to be shot at Manchester United’s headquarters at Old Trafford.” The film has been set in England for Vivek feels it will bring a realistic touch. “It is different from the way non-resident status is usually celebrated in Hindi films. Here the protagonists are barbers and meat sellers. And it’s not only about the Indians. It’s also the story of the Pakistanis and Bangladeshi living there. They all migrated some 60 years back as Indians. But one day some discovered that now they have become Pakistani. Another day some of them were labelled as Bangladeshis.”

The film stars John Abraham and Arshad Warsi in the lead with Bipasha Basu as John’s love interest. “John has played football at the college level. So it was not difficult for him . It is Arshad who has really worked hard.” Isn’t he too plump to be a footballer? “Watch out he is my Maradona.” And John? “Well, his character is shaped around Ronaldo.”

ANUJ KUMAR

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