South stars go high on sports movies

While there is a lot of hype about upcoming Bollywood sports movies such as "83", "Toofaan" or "Jersey", an entirely different crop of biggies in the genre is being readied down South.

The Telugu and Tamil film industries, especially, have been increasingly investing in sports movies that let them explore the entire gamut of emotions and drama that come with the story of an individual, often an underdog, who strives against the odds to emerge a winner and make his nation proud.

For South Indian actors and filmmakers exploring the genre, the significance lies beyond box office basics. Given the fact that sports films as a genre draw audience attention easily, these films have become important to regional stars in the context of the pan-India scenario because the advent of OTT now provides a level playing field to all content coming from different parts of India.

Down South, there are several sports films lined up right now, with many scheduled to release over the next few months, with OTT, giving them all-India, nay global, access.

What's more, films in the genre set to emerge from the Tamil and Telugu factories explore sports beyond the familiar cricket and football ambit. While "Muddy" bases its plot on drag racing, "Lakshya" finds its plot in archery. Films like "Sarpatta" and "Ghani" have boxing as the sport on which the storyline is based.