Iqbal, the deaf and mute son of a farmer, has a passion for the game of cricket and seeks the tutelage of a washed-up, alcoholic ex-player.Iqbal, the deaf and mute son of a farmer, has a passion for the game of cricket and seeks the tutelage of a washed-up, alcoholic ex-player.Iqbal, the deaf and mute son of a farmer, has a passion for the game of cricket and seeks the tutelage of a washed-up, alcoholic ex-player.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
17K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Awards
- 10 wins & 16 nominations
Videos1
- Director
- Writers
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
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 between his top pupil, Kamal, and Iqbal. A disheartened Iqbal finds a new mentor, in the form of alcoholic farmhand, Mohit, who reluctantly decides to tutor Iqbal, so much so that Iqbal qualifies to play in the Andhra Pradesh team for a Ranji trophy match. The match is won, and a way is cleared for Iqbal to find a place in the Indian team. Then all chaos breaks lose when Anwar refuses to let Iqbal indulge anymore in this waste of time, and asks him to go to the farm and help him. But Mohit is able to convince him to change his mind, only to find out that Guruji, who favors his star pupil Kamal, for a place in the Indian cricket team, and will do his utmost to foil any attempt by Mohit to promote Iqbal. —rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)
- Genres
- Certificate
- Not Rated
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaThis was Shreyas Talpade's first movie to enter Bollywood.
- GoofsAt the start of the movie when Iqbal practices bowling in the field, he closes his eyes and imagines a crowds roar as if in a stadium. He can never imagine this since he has never heard it. He clearly doesn't know what a crowds roar is like and can never have even the faintest idea about it since he is deaf and dumb since birth.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Rainbow (2015)
- SoundtracksAASHAEIN...
Composed by Salim Merchant and Salim Merchant
Lyrics by Irfan Siddique
Sung by Krishnakumar Kunnath
Top review
Remarkable, Outstanding, Astonishing and Unpretentious
An inspiring and thought provoking tale of a specially abled lad's passion to realize his only dream of being part of the national cricket team. This is a gold dust of cinema, one of the finest you would ever come across by. Indeed, Nagesh Kukunoor deserves a big round of applause for this spectacle, a feat that he successfully achieves in his next project (Dor) as well.
Anybody among us can dream big but those who realize those dreams are the special ones, right! And what would you call that person who has been written off by many since birth and yet goes on to achieve what he has always dreamed of? EXCEPTIONAL; maybe it is an understatement but yes.
As they say, behind every successful man there is a woman, and well Iqbal (a very challenging role portrayed with ease and grace by Shreyas Talpade) had two backing him in his endeavor, his mother and his ever supportive and caring little sister, Khadija (a character brilliantly portrayed by Sweta Basu). Obviously family support is good for moral boost up but it just isn't going to be enough without a well drunk, sorry! a well experienced coach (Nasseruddin Shah's portrayal of this character is surely going to have a lasting impact. He lightened the screen every time with his presence. Pure brilliance!).
And for all those who have started to question their choice of watching this movie because of the fact that you do not understand cricket, then let me just tell you - You don't need to understand cricket at all to enjoy this because becoming a national cricket player is used as a synonym in this movie for a dream that is just too big in the eyes of the society for a lad like him).
I watched this movie when I was a teenager and I have to admit that this movie forever changed my perception of cinema. So, if you are feeling low, dejected, hopeless or having any such kind of thoughts about quitting on your dreams, I urge you to watch this remarkable piece of work.
You would never want to quit on to something that gives meaning to your life.
Anybody among us can dream big but those who realize those dreams are the special ones, right! And what would you call that person who has been written off by many since birth and yet goes on to achieve what he has always dreamed of? EXCEPTIONAL; maybe it is an understatement but yes.
As they say, behind every successful man there is a woman, and well Iqbal (a very challenging role portrayed with ease and grace by Shreyas Talpade) had two backing him in his endeavor, his mother and his ever supportive and caring little sister, Khadija (a character brilliantly portrayed by Sweta Basu). Obviously family support is good for moral boost up but it just isn't going to be enough without a well drunk, sorry! a well experienced coach (Nasseruddin Shah's portrayal of this character is surely going to have a lasting impact. He lightened the screen every time with his presence. Pure brilliance!).
And for all those who have started to question their choice of watching this movie because of the fact that you do not understand cricket, then let me just tell you - You don't need to understand cricket at all to enjoy this because becoming a national cricket player is used as a synonym in this movie for a dream that is just too big in the eyes of the society for a lad like him).
I watched this movie when I was a teenager and I have to admit that this movie forever changed my perception of cinema. So, if you are feeling low, dejected, hopeless or having any such kind of thoughts about quitting on your dreams, I urge you to watch this remarkable piece of work.
You would never want to quit on to something that gives meaning to your life.
helpful•61
- EngineerSahab
- Aug 11, 2019
Details
- Runtime2 hours 12 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content

Recently viewed
Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.