A cric flick minus the last ball six

Nagesh Kuknoor8217;s fascination with blue obviously didn8217;t end at Hyderabad. In his newest offering 8216;Iqbal8217; 8212; to be re...

3 min readMumbaiAug 12, 2005 12:00 AM IST

Nagesh Kuknoor’s fascination with blue obviously didn’t end at Hyderabad. In his newest offering ‘Iqbal’ — to be released world wide on August 26 — his young protagonist is chasing the Indian cricket team’s official one-day colours.

Kuknoor has stacked his narrative with all plausible handicaps, which can deter an aspirant from making it to the big league: a speech and hearing disability, a humble family, snooty-and-jealous co-trainers and even an initially reluctant, and intoxicated coach.

The vision of a Goliath couldn’t get more multi-pronged and looming than this. Except that Kuknoor’s David is no willow-wielder, but dreams of making it big with the ball.

This effort to focus on the harder-working, yet lesser-fancied breed of bowlers may possibly point to India’s new-found and nascent realisation of their general utility to a cricket team. But, we would be mistaken in thinking that even this finely crafted film might trigger a speedster-boom.

Indian cinema’s cric-flicks, without any exception, have dwelled on a batsman’s heroics, where bowlers are supposed to look big and act silly and small. Aamir Khan essayed the batter’s role to mathematic perfection in the climax of Awwal Number, and clinched his second match-winning performance in the epic Lagaan.

Kukunoor though, has ditched that trodden path and desisted from showing the underdog hit the predictable last-ball six, which makes you cringe uncomfortably at the thought of that eternal nightmare — Javed Miandad.

Challenging cricket’s uptown boys — in this case a snobbish batsman with short studs and high connections who is graduating to India ranks from one of the many upmarket academies, Iqbal drops his sweat and works hard and furious to dislodge stumps and bails on his way to the Andhra Ranji side.

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Even in his ultimate moment of reckoning, Iqbal, played by Shreyas Talpade, an occassional club-player and full-time stage actor, does not conjure three stumps flying on impact in three different directions for dramatic effect, but devises a delivery that would be a thinking, scheming bowler’s ultimate delight.

‘‘I always wanted to write an underdog story, and cricket was a backdrop which was easily identifiable. The focus was on a bowler since they are always neglected while the batsmen hog all the attention,’’ Kuknoor said.

The story, based in fictional small town Kolipad, and shot in the legend-laden Tenali, is also a throwback to the largely-undocumented struggles of small centre cricketers.

But for long, the image of an Indian cricket star has only meant a batsman on some godly rampage. With Iqbal, the Indian bowler – essentially the underdog within the underdogs, comes of age.

Shivani Naik

Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball. Professional Profile Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express. Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics. Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium. Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025) Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond: Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style. PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps. The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals. Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas. Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes. Notable Recent Articles BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025) The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025) Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025) Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025) Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025) Other Sports Interests Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts. You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More

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