Sports stories inspire people: Farhan Akthar

Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar believes sports-based stories have a unique ability to connect with audiences because they are easy to understand while also offering valuable lessons about life, perseverance and dealing with failure.

Farhan shared his views on sports and cinema while speaking to the media at the launch of sportswear brand D:FY here on Tuesday. He attended the event along with former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble, filmmaker Ritesh Sidhwani and actors Saqib Salim, Rhea Chakraborty and Nidhhi Agarwal.

Having himself portrayed legendary Indian athlete Milkha Singh in the acclaimed film "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", Farhan has first-hand experience of bringing a sporting icon's journey to the big screen.

Asked whether sports films were becoming a growing trend in Indian cinema, Farhan said stories about sporting legends had always attracted audiences because people naturally look up to successful athletes.

He said such stories can be particularly meaningful for children as they demonstrate qualities such as discipline, resilience and the ability to overcome setbacks.

"We always look up to sporting icons and sporting legends over the time that we have had, to bring their stories onscreen. There is a lot I think, for children especially, to learn about character and life and it also helps to re-invent you and to deal with failure," he said.

Farhan also believes that the simplicity of sporting contests makes them effective vehicles for telling inspirational stories.

"I think if you can take stories from sports, they are easier for people to understand and they inspire people because they are not very complicated so, it gets easy for children and people in general to learn life lessons from sports," he said.

The actor pointed out that sport naturally contains many of the dramatic elements that filmmakers try to create in fiction. Unexpected victories, defeats and last-minute turnarounds can produce moments that seem almost impossible to script.

"As far as a cinema on sports is concerned, I think nothing can be more dramatic," Farhan said, noting that matches in cricket, football and badminton can sometimes unfold in ways that audiences would find difficult to believe if they appeared in a fictional screenplay.

According to him, sport also creates heroes and memorable stories organically, which makes the genre particularly attractive for filmmakers.

Indian cinema was increasingly exploring such stories at the time, with several sports-based projects in development. Ranveer Singh was set to portray former India captain Kapil Dev in "83", based on India's historic 1983 World Cup triumph, while Shraddha Kapoor was slated to play badminton star Saina Nehwal in a film directed by Amol Gupte.

Farhan was meanwhile preparing for "The Sky Is Pink", a biographical drama directed by Shonali Bose. The film, produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur and Ronnie Screwvala under the RSVP Films banner, is based on motivational speaker Aisha Chaudhary, who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.

The film stars Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar and Zaira Wasim in key roles.