11 films for lovers of boxing

This 'Garam' Dharam starrer is the story of a boxer's revenge. A young boxer goes into the ring against his father's killers. The film had Dharmendra at his smashing best, but failed to make a mark on the box-office. It found a special place in the hearts of the hero's fans though. The footage from the film was also used to show Dharmendra's flashback in 'Apne', a film where Dharmendra's sons starred as boxers.

The true Bollywood remake of Rocky, Boxer starred Mithun Chakraborty as the underdog street urchin fighting his way out of bad luck. Directed by Raj Sippy, the film ranks quite high for its action quotient and has Mithun Chakraborty doing a perfect Stallone imitation.

A film about a street fighter who turns into a figure skater out of love, Lafangey Parindey sent out all the wrong signals. Neil Nitin Mukesh, the triple title winner, seemed miscast as the street fighter who tries to turn into a professional skater. The film flopped to the canvas in the first round. Like a skater in a boxing ring.

This one had all the ingredients of a potboiler. An underdog street fighter turns straight and fights his mob bosses in a thrilling end. Based on the Hollywood classic 'On the Waterfront', Ghulam had Aamir Khan leading the masses against a ruthless Sharat Saxena in prime form. The film rejuvenated Aamir's credentials as a lead hero, and that of Sharat Saxena as a powerful villain.

A film that is all about heart, and the family, Apne was a reunion of the entire Deol family. Brothers Sunny and Bobby starred alongside their father, Dharmendra, as rival boxers fighting each other for a place in the sun. The film definitely struck a chord among audiences that turned it into a sleeper hit.

The Khiladi Kumar is known for his penchant for the martial arts. For once, he had to take the back seat as his leading lady, Sonakshi Sinha, took to the ring. Shotgun's daughter pulled no punches as she looked the part of a feisty girl who boxes to win her soldier hero's heart.

'Fight Club' seems to be the default template for every street boxing scene in Bollywood. Anurag Kashyap followed the trend by turning Ranbir Kapoor into a 'Brad Pitt' lite version in his stylish gangster epic 'Bombay Velvet'. The younger Kapoor certainly looked the part but lacked the menace which made Pitt popular.

The remake of Hollywood blockbuster 'Fighters' had Siddharth Malhotra and Akshay Kumar playing the rival brothers. It did not match the intensity of the Hollywood original, but the action scenes were certainly worth the ticketing price.

When Mary Kom won the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, she set off a frenzy. Soon, Bollywood followed suit. Priyanka Chopra's role as the eponymous boxer in 2014 biographical was praised all round. Her performance won her the Filmfare award for the Best Actress. The film also won the National Award and the Filmfare for Best Film.

Nobody, we emphasise, nobody does action better in Bollywood right now than Salman Khan. The'Dabangg' Khan has found a new genre with his funny, rocking, action films. In 2016, Salman Khan is all set to unleash his 'fists of fury' in his role as a street boxer in 'Sultan'. The gossip vine is abuzz with rumours that the star put on 15 kgs of muscle for his role. Now, it remains to be seen if the film can pull its weight at the opening.
 

Madhavan dons the gloves to play the rude boxing coach scouring the streets to find a boxer to bring home a medal. Sudha Kongara Prasad makes her directorial debut under Raju Hirani's capable hands.