Say Salaam India
World Cup Cricket is round the corner and apart from other high profile films on sports being under production currently, another film that should soon be making its presence felt is SAY SALAAM INDIA.
SAY SALAAM INDIA is a story that begins with cricket, continues with cricket and ends with cricket.
It is a film that has everyone involved in the narrative attached to cricket by some means - good, bad or downright ugly.
But then as the saying goes, may the best team win. And something similar is expected as the film culminates into a climax.
The story of SAY SALAAM INDIA revolves around a bunch of 4 boys who come from a humble background and don't have riches to their disposal. But there is something that they have in abundance - passion to excel, passion to prove a point and passion to do everything that it takes to bring them closer to their goal - CRICKET!
They are Viru, Mahi, Shakeel and Guri.
Together they studied in a local corporation school but instead of cricket, the favorite sport out there was nothing less than wrestling. The man who taught everyone the sport? Wrestling Guru Surinder Huda.
He was the man who simply detested the word cricket. Reason? As per him, it was cricket that had destroyed sports like Kushti, Kabaddi and Hockey that were otherwise popular for ages.
Viru, Mahi, Shakeel and Guri not just had to fight the shortcomings they had due to their background. They also had to fight Surinder Huda!
On the other side of the spectrum was an elite school in Delhi that went by the name of "Royal Heritage".
Royal Heritage - A school that did have children with talent but then they lacked something that makes great sport stars - PASSION!
These children had everything in the world. They had riches to their disposal, they were fine to get things done through shortcuts and they were more impressed with Sachin's Ferrari that his batting skills and hard work behind it.
And one day in this school entered Hari Sadu [Sanjay Suri], who was entrusted with the responsibility of coaching the Royal Heritage cricket team which was en route to win their sixth state championship.
Hari Sadu was also a man who was one of his own kinds. He was a cricket fanatic for whom everything was same, be it Gully cricket or World Cup cricket. For him, cricket was a passion, a desire that would make everyone excel in what they do, never mind the result.
His stint with the team began soon but due to his unique thinking and coaching methods, he was opposed by the young cricketers. Also, they were incapable of matching Hari's ideas and conviction due to which the unthinkable happened and soon Hari was out of the school.
The man who replaced him? Harry Oberoi [Milind Soman] who was a character in himself. More of a suave fixer from the cricket world than a coach, he truly suited the image and profile of the school.
What will Hari do? Will he fight back with a team that he will create? Will the underdogs battle it out with the more privileged ones? Will Hari be able to bring home the cup?
Also starring Sandhya Mridul, Manoj Pahwa, Sachin Khedekar, Vinay Pathak, Shradha Nigam and Ojas, the film is written and directed by debutant Subhash kapoor with music by Gaurav Dayal. The film is aiming for a release during the World Cup.