''Iqbal'' is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. Produced by

Subhash Ghai Subhash may refer to: People * Subhash Agarwal, Indian professional player and coach of English billiards and snooker * Subhash Awchat (born 1960), Indian artist and author based in Mumbai * Subhash Bapurao Wankhede (born 1963), Indian politician ...

, under "Mukta Searchlight Films", the story follows a cricket-obsessed deaf and mute boy from a remote Indian village as he aims to overcomes difficulties to become a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er and fulfill his dream of playing for the

Indian national cricket team The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International ...

. The film received the

National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues The National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues is one of the category in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Ind ...

. The film was screened retrospective on 18 August 2016 at the ''Independence Day Film Festival'' jointly presented by the Indian Directorate of Film Festivals and Ministry of Defense, commemorating 70th Indian Independence Day.

Plot

Iqbal (

Shreyas Talpade Shreyas Talpade (born 27 January 1976) is an Indian actor, film director and producer who appears in Hindi and Marathi films. He has appeared in several critically and commercially successful films. He is better known for his role as Shah Rukh ...

) is a deaf and mute boy, who dreams of playing cricket for India. However, he is discouraged by his father who thinks that Iqbal's daydreams are a waste of time. Instead, he wants Iqbal to help him tend to the crops and become a farmer like him, which would be a stable profession. Iqbal's sister, Khadija ( Shweta Prasad), however, helps him try out for a nearby academy run by Guruji ( Girish Karnad), an influential former India captain, who accepts him for his talent. However, when Iqbal competes with a rich boy, Kamal, who is also the star of the academy, he is thrown out by Guruji out of fear of Kamal's father, who bankrolls the academy. Iqbal seeks help from the local drunkard, Mohit (

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...

), who was once a great cricketer and persuades him to be his coach. They are able to train in a nearby field, using Iqbal's buffaloes (named after actual members of the Indian cricket team) as fielders. Mohit trains Iqbal and gets him a place on the

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cr ...

team, despite Iqbal not having any previous cricketing experience. Iqbal plays marvelously for the team, which was a weak team before he joined, and is soon noticed by the press and cricket selectors alike. However, when the final match of the season pits Iqbal against his rival, Kamal, Guruji tries to bribe Iqbal to bowl badly so that the national team scouts at the game would select Kamal for the national cricket team. Iqbal succumbs to his offer, out of concern for his father, who is facing financial difficulties and may lose his lands. Luckily, a sports agent is able to offer him a better deal, and Iqbal bowls with his usual fiery pace and wins the match for his team. Surprisingly he also impresses the onlooking national team selector Kapil Dev (in a special guest role), and wins a place in the

. In the end Iqbal is shown donning the Indian Cricket Team's Blue Jersey and walking in the ground to make his international debut.

Cast

as Iqbal, a bowler *

as Mohit * Girish Karnad as Guruji *

Shweta Basu Prasad Shweta Basu Prasad is an Indian actress. She has acted predominantly in Hindi films and television. She won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for her role in ''Makdee''. Personal life Shweta Basu Prasad was born in Jamshedpur, in ...

as Khadija *

Yatin Karyekar Yatin Karyekar is a veteran Indian actor in the Bollywood film industry. He was also part of long running television serial ''Shanti (TV series), Shanti''. He appeared in the role of Aurangzeb in popular Marathi serial Raja Shivchhatrapati. ...

as Anwar *

Prateeksha Lonkar Prateeksha Lonkar is an Indian actress who mostly appeared in Hindi and Marathi films and television series. She is best known for playing the lead title role in the Marathi TV serial ''Damini'', that aired on DD Sahyadri. Early life Lonkar's ...

as Saida *Dilip Salgaonkar as Bipin *Jyoti Joshi as Farida * Adarsh Balakrishna as Kamal *Gururaj Manepalli as Akash * Kapil Dev as Himself (Special Appearance) *

D. Santosh D. Santosh (born 26 September 1976) is an Indian film and theatre actor from Trichy, Tamil Nadu who works in Hindi films and theatre plays. Early life Santosh was born on 19 September 1976. He is an engineering graduate from PSG Tech, Coimb ...

as Satish Bhatawdekar

Reception

''Iqbal'' was well received by critics and audiences alike. The success of the film ensured its director Nagesh Kukunoor the commercial recognition. The film was voted amongst the Ten Hindi Films that is ideal for Training and Motivational material.

Awards

;

51st Filmfare Awards The 51st Filmfare Awards took place on 25 February 2006 at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai. The show was hosted by Javed Jaffrey. '' Parineeta'' led the ceremony with 13 nominations, followed by ''Black'' with 11 nominations. ''Black'' rece ...

: Nominated *

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

– Nagesh Kukunoor * Best Supporting Actor –

* Best Supporting Actress –

Other awards *

– Nagesh Kukunoor &

National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Supporting Actor (), is an honour presented annually at India's National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), an ...

–

* Zee Cine Award for Best Actor (Critics) – Male –

* Zee Cine Award for Best Actor ( Critics) – Female - Shweta Prasad *

Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress The Screen Award for Best Actress is one of the Screen Awards of merit presented annually by a distinguished panel of judges from the Indian "Bollywood" film industry, to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a Su ...

- Shweta Prasad

Music

The music for the soundtrack was composed by

Himesh Reshammiya Himesh Reshammiya (born 23 July 1973) is an Indian playback singer, music director, songwriter, film & music producer and actor in Hindi cinema. He started his career as music director in the film '' Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya'' in 1998 and made ...

and Salim Sulaiman and was released under the T-Series label..

References

External links

*
BBC film review
{{Subhash Ghai 2005 films Indian sports drama films Films about deaf people 2000s sports drama films 2000s Hindi-language films Films about cricket in India Films about disability in India Films scored by Himesh Reshammiya Indian Sign Language films Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor National Film Award-winning performance Best Film on Other Social Issues National Film Award winners Films directed by Nagesh Kukunoor 2005 drama films