Hindi cinema has seen a number of movies based on cricket — underdog stories Lagaan (2001) and Iqbal (2005) instantly come to mind. There have also been films like Jannat (2008) and the web-series Inside Edge (2017) which looked at the corruption in the game.
Sports journalist-turned-director Mitali Ghoshal’s 22 Yards merges these two themes. The trailer shows that this merger of ideas holds promise.
The film is about a cricket enthusiast (Barun Sobti) from Kolkata who runs a sports management company. He looks into player endorsements and marketing deals, advertisement campaigns, sponsorship, and television satellite deals.
He is happy with his life until the media gets a whiff of some of his wrongdoings. His fall from grace begs drastic measures for redemption, for which he decides to nurture a young, aspiring batsman (Amartya Ray).
The unusual and out-of-the-box story piques your interest in the film. The trailer indicates that the makers have given a good glimpse of what happens behind the scenes in the commercial world of the game. On the flip side, the trailer reveals a lot of the story.
Sobti, who was earlier seen on the big screen in Tu Hai Mera Sunday (2017), fits in the role of a cunning sports agent. Ray shows promise. The film also stars the veteran Rajit Kapur in the role of a coach who gets a chance to redeem himself.
22 Yards will be released on 22 February. Watch the trailer below and let us know if you are keen to watch this film in the theatres.