Shakuntala Devi, 83, Thalaivi, Shabaash Mithu: 28 popular biopics in Bollywood

As the trailer of Shakuntala Devi, starring Vidya Balan, has been released, we take a look at popular biopics in Bollywood made in the past and lined up for the near future.

Updated On: 2019-01-25 03:21 PM IST

Shakuntala Devi, 83, Thalaivi, Shabaash Mithu: 28 popular biopics in Bollywood

Shakuntala Devi: With countless achievements and a never-before-seen journey of the charming mathematician, Vidya Balan will be seen in and as Shakuntala Devi. The upcoming biopic of the math wizard is all set to make your head spin with complex calculations! It is set to release on July 31, 2020, on Amazon Prime Video.

83: In a country where cricket and cinema are a religion unto themselves, one can only imagine the anticipation for a project that combines the two elements. A retelling of India's 1983 Cricket World Cup win, the sports drama has been developed by Kabir Khan in close collaboration with the real heroes of the '83 squad. Leading man Ranveer Singh has not only aced the physical resemblance to Kapil Dev, but has also perfected the legend's signature Natraj shot.

Thalaivi: When you're telling the story of one of India's most fearless women politicians, it's only fitting that you rope in the fiercest actor of Bollywood. Kangana Ranaut will soon bring her rendition of J Jayalalithaa to the big screen with Thalaivi. From a bright student who reluctantly joined films to her rise as a force to reckon with in Indian politics, Jayalalithaa's story has the necessary crests and troughs for the making of an engaging movie. Question is, will director AL Vijay and Ranaut explore the untapped portions of her life and offer a brave tribute?

Jhulan Goswami biopic: Anushka Sharma will be seen in the biopic of former Indian women's cricket team captain Jhulan Goswami. After Zero (2018), Sharma took her time to sign her next. As prep, she needn't look beyond home. Hubby Virat Kohli must have obviously provided tips.

Shabaash Mithu: Taapsee Pannu will bring forth the story based on the life of the captain of the Indian women's cricket team, Mithali Raj. Taapsee will portray the role of Mithali Raj in the film Shabaash Mithu.

Chhapaak: After missing from the big screen for almost two years, Deepika Padukone kicked off 2020 by bringing the story of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal on celluloid. Chhapaak saw her slip into the role of Malti under director Meghna Gulzar's watchful eye.

Thackeray: Based on late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, this Abhijit Panse directorial stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing the titular role, and Amrita Rao as Balasaheb's wife Meenatai. Thackeray follows Balasaheb's life and his transition from being a cartoonist to becoming one of the most respected and powerful politicians of India.

Shakeela: Not A Porn Star: Based on the life of the south adult film actress, the film helmed by director Indrajit Lankesh delves into the true life beyond the screen image of the actress who defied norms in the late 90s in the south film industry. The film stars Richa Chadha in the titular role.

Soorma: It was a biopic made on Sandeep Singh's life, who is a hockey legend and the ex-captain of the Indian National Hockey Team. Sandeep, regarded as one of the world's most dangerous drag-flickers, has given many a golden moment to Indian hockey. The film is a Shaad Ali directorial, starring Diljit Dosanjh, Angad Bedi and Taapsee Pannu.

Sanju: Sanju depicted the life of actor Sanjay Dutt right from his younger days to his conviction. While Sanjay Dutt's life, time and again made headlines, a lot of unbelievable aspects of the actor's life yet remain untold. Rajkumar Hirani's Sanju brought to the forefront the unabashed details of the actor's life highlighting aspects like drugs, women, relationship with parents and friends, and inner conflicts. Written and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, the film also starred an ensemble cast in addition to Ranbir Kapoor, which includes Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Vicky Kaushal, Sonam Kapoor and Dia Mirza amongst others.

Gold: The sports drama - Gold - starring Akshay Kumar released on 2018's Independence Day, marking 70 years of Free India's first Gold medal at the 1948 Olympics. India won its first Gold medal as an independent nation at the Olympics on August 12, 1948. Celebrating this historic occasion, Gold was a biopic of sorts based on the team's struggles and their lives.

Manto: The biopic saw Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Saadat Hasan Manto. The film chronicled four years of Manto's life - two years before the partition and two years after that - the most creative, yet turbulent period for the writer.

Sachin: A Billion Dreams: The film was based on the life of cricket's living legend Sachin Tendulkar. It showed real footage including clips of various essential matches of Sachin, how he dealt in intense and tough situations and also threw light on his personal life.

Dangal: Chronicling the empowering journey of a father who trains his daughters in wrestling, Aamir Khan played Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former national champion who, much to the disapproval of his wife and his whole village, trained his daughters Geeta and Babita to be wrestlers.

MS Dhoni: The Untold Story: Dhoni biopic narrated the journey of Mahendra Singh Dhoni - from a budding cricketer to becoming the most successful captain of the Indian Cricket Team. Directed by Neeraj Pandey, the film saw Sushant Singh Rajput playing the lead. The film is a classic underdog script of how passion and perseverance can take you places. The movie also starred Disha Patani, Kiara Advani and Anupam Kher.

Mary Kom: Priyanka Chopra who had earlier played glamorous and girl-next-door roles in her past films, stepped into the shoes of Olympic medalist boxer Mary Kom. She trained hard to build muscles over a period of time to look like the athlete and sink her teeth into the role. The Omung Kumar directorial fared decently at the Box Office.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: The film was based on the life of legendary Indian athlete Milkha Singh. Actor-turned-director Farhan Akhtar essayed the role of Milkha Singh. Farhan trained for a perfect physique and looked strikingly similar to the Olympic medalist.

Azhar: Emraan Hashmi played the role of former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin in his biopic, that narrated the highs and lows of Azharuddin's life as the captain of the Indian cricket team for most of the 1990s, being tainted by a match-fixing scandal in 2000, and getting banned for life. Directed by Tony D'Souza, Azhar also starred Prachi Desai, Nargis Fakhri and Lara Dutta in pivotal roles.

Sarbjit: Biopic on Sarabjit Singh (Randeep Hooda), a farmer, who, on a fateful night, is said to have just wandered off across the border in a drunken stupor, never to return home as he gets caught by the Pakistani cops, tortured and kept in jail for 22 years. It is a story of helplessness, of despair and of an unending struggle for Sarabjit's feisty sister, Dalbir Kaur (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan).

The Dirty Picture: Vidya Balan did her first dare-bare act in this film based on the life of '70s southern sex symbol Silk Smitha. The film earned her critical acclaim. Vidya put on weight to bring into focus the forgotten story of the dancing star.

Main Aur Charles: This film revolves around serial killer Charles Sobhraj's escape from Tihar jail. Randeep Hooda played the role of Charles, which was earlier titled Bad.

Chak De India: Shah Rukh Khan played the role of a disgraced former hockey player, who coaches an underdog women's hockey team to victory in this film inspired by the life of Indian hockey player Mir Ranjan Negi.

Paan Singh Tomar: The film was based on the story of Indian soldier Paan Singh Tomar, who was an athlete, who turned into a rebel. The protagonist was played by Irrfan Khan.

Mangal Pandey: The Rising: This biopic of legendary sepoy Mangal Pandey saw Aamir Khan step in the role. Though the film did not work at the Box Office, Aamir was lauded for his performance.

The Legend of Bhagat Singh: This biopic about the man who sparked off the revolt of 1857 featured Ajay Devgn in the role of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. Though the film received critical reviews, the actor garnered a lot of appreciation for his performance.

Bose: The Forgotten Hero: The tale of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was depicted in an epic manner with this biopic. Sachin Khedekar played the role of Subhash Chandra Bose in the film.

Gandhi, My Father: Feroz Abbas Khan adapted his successful play 'Mahatma Vs Gandhi' into 'Gandhi, My Father', which explored the troubled relationship of Mahatma Gandhi with his eldest son, Harilal. Darshan Jariwala played the role of Gandhi while Akshay Khanna essayed the role of his son Harilal.

Rang Rasiya: This film depicts the life and times of artist Raja Ravi Varma. Randeep Hooda is essaying the key role.

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