Iqbal (2005)

Iqbal, the deaf and mute son of a farmer, has a passion for the game of cricket and seeks the tutelage of washed-up, alcoholic ex-player.

Director:

Nagesh Kukunoor

Writer:

Nagesh Kukunoor

Stars:

Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Shreyas Talpade

2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Naseeruddin Shah	...	Mohit
Girish Karnad	...	Guruji
Shreyas Talpade	...	Iqbal
Shweta Prasad	...	Khadija
Yatin Karyekar	...	Anwar
Prateeksha Lonkar	...	Saida
Dilip Salgaonkar	...	Bipin
Jyoti Joshi	...	Farida
Aadarsh Balakrishna	...	Kamal
Gururaj Manepalli	...	Akash
Rajita Joshi	...	Doctor
Srikanth Chitrao	...	Sunil Mitra, the Selector
Vikram Inamdar	...	DeSouza, the Team Manager
Elahe Hiptoola	...	TV Reporter
Balaji Manohar	...	Mohammed, the Team Captain

Storyline

India - a Nation obsessed with cricket - and it is not very often one comes across anyone who loathes cricket as much as farmer Anwar Khan, who feels that it is a waste of time watching some grown men playing, not only getting paid, but costing the nation millions of lost work hours. His family, especially his wife, Saida, does not quite agree with him. As a matter of fact, she broke water when watching a cricket match with a TV set perched on a branch of a tree with almost the entire village in attendance. This is how Iqbal was born, followed by the birth of his sister, Khadija. Iqbal, though deaf and dumb, shared his mother's and sister's passion for cricket, he would tend to the buffaloes, who though all female, had been named after male cricketers, including Kapil Dev. While tending to them, he would stop and watch youngsters being trained by the renowned Guruji. When Guruji finds out about Iqbal's interest in the game, he recruits him, but lets him go when a dispute flares up ...

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Plot Keywords:

underdog | character repeating someone else's dialogue | deaf mute | sign language | cricket the game | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [in] (English)

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

20 January 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mukta Searchlight Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Mohit: [to Guruji] For a long time I wanted to say this to you, my father and all others who wanted my good, go to HELL!

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Soundtracks

"AASHAEIN..."
Composed by Salim Merchant and Suleiman Merchant
Lyrics by Irfan Siddique
Sung by Kay Kay

User Reviews

Very classy Flick

I went to this movie just today. I heard great reviews from everybody and I finally watched it today. Nagesh Kukunoor has the knack of coming up with some good films, especially off late after Teen Deewarein(Which was brilliant). This movie I think is another feather in his cap. This story is about a deaf mute, Iqbal (Shreyas Talpade), who lives in the small village of Kolipad and dreams of becoming a great cricketer. His father is totally against his love for the game but his mother and sister push him towards his dream. Iqbal is first coached by a devious Girish Karnad, who ditches him for a rich kid. His only refuge is the village drunk Mohit(played brilliantly by Naseeruddin Shah), a former Ranji cricketer. The relationship between Iqbal and Mohit is beautifully brought out on screen. Iqbal's sister (played by Shweta) also gives a brilliant performance. But the cherry on the cake belongs to Naseeruddin Shah. His charm is infectious. He breathes life into the character of Mohit with effortless ease. Shreyas Talpade has also brought in a very good performance. He has really emoted very well and has done justice to his role as the deaf mute. The actor playing Iqbal's father also does a very good job. I think this movie is for the masses as well as the classes. It will be enjoyed by one and all. As the movie's bylane rightly puts it. "It is a story above Cricket."