Ahead of Olympics, Let's Relive 5 Movies Based on the Lives of Athletes

Stage is set for the 32nd edition of the Olympic Games, the Tokyo Olympics, after a hiatus of a year because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The quadrennial begins on July 23 and runs till August 8. The Opening Ceremony is due to take place on 23 July, however, there are a few events kicking off a few days prior, namely baseball, softball and football, all starting on 21 July. This year, the games will see a whopping 339 events unfold across 33 sports.

Sports is always an integral part of the movies, be it Hollywood or Bollywood. Here we take a look at the five movies around the lives of athletes:

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

The 2013 movie Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is based on the life of legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh. Also known as ‘The Flying Sikh’, he was the first Indian athlete to win an individual athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. He won the yellow metal in 1958 in 400m. Milkha became a superstar after he finished fourth in the 1960 Olympic Games in 440m.

Chariots of Fire

Chariots of Fire is counted as one of the best movies of all time and not just the best athletics film. The movie was released in 1981. The film revolves around the story of two British athletes at the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams. While Liddell is a devout Scottish Christian, Harold Abrahams is an English Jew.

Unbroken

The 2014 US war film Unbroken is produced and directed by Angelina Jolie. It is based on a non-fiction book by Laura Hillenbrand published in 2010. The film revolves around the story of USA Olympian and army officer, Louis Zamperini.

Paan Singh Tomar

The film is based on the true story of a runner employed by the Army. Tomar won a Gold medal at the Indian National Games. However, later he was forced to become a notorious ‘baaghi’. The film is directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and was released in 2012.

The Terry Fox Story

The movie ‘The Terry Fox Story’ is based on the life of Terry Fox. The film was released in 1983 and it captures the struggle of the cancer amputee hero who decided to run across Canada on only one leg to raise money for cancer research.

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