R Balki is back with his latest effort of love, Ghoomer, where he reunites with his Paa leading man Abhishek Bachchan. The sports drama is centred around an amputee female cricketer, played by Saiyami Kher, and how she is brought back to her glory days by her coach, played by Abhishek Bachchan. The movie also stars Shabana Azmi and Angad Bedi, while R Balki's permanent mainstay Amitabh Bachchan has a cameo in the film. Well, the cameo is no spoiler since the trailer of Ghoomer has already spoilt that surprise for you. Ghoomer Trailer: Abhishek Bachchan's Coach Guides Saiyami Kher's Amputee Cricketer To Victory in R Balki's Film, Watch Out for Amitabh Bachchan's Cameo.

The trailer shows the usual beats associated with such a sports film about the rise and fall of a promising cricketer, the fall caused by an accident that makes her lose her right hand. Then there is Abhishek Bachchan shown as a drunk, dishevelled coach who first pushes her to come out of her self-pity and then into the path of reinvention. The major plot point of the film would be probably how Ghoomer shows how Saiyami's character manages to convince the wrorld that she is eligible to play in the main Indian team instead of the the handicapped special team.

Watch the Trailer of Ghoomer here:

While the trailer has this inspiring, feel-good vibes, we can't help but draw parallels to some other films that came out in the past which had similar tropes. Check them out below:

Saala Khadoos

The breakout film of director Sudha Kongara, this bilingual sports film (Irudhi Suttru in Tamil) starred R Madhavan and Ritika Singh. Though the film revolves around boxing and everyone has their appendages intact, R Madhavan's bitter coach character and his tough methods to teach his protege is the first thing that played into our minds when we saw Abhishek in Ghoomer. Saala Khadoos is streaming on SonyLIV.

Iqbal

Nagesh Kukunoor's delightful sports drama that introduced Shreyas Talpade to Bollywood is also about a disabled aspiring cricketer (auditory impaired here) being coached by a drunk coach past his prime to reach heights of glory. Iqbal is streaming on Prime Video.

The King's Speech

Though not a sports film, Abhishek Bachchan's caustic attitude towards Saiyami's condition to get her out of the feeling of being hopeless reminded us of how Geoffrey Rush's speech therapist Lionel Logue does something similar to Colin Firth's King George VI to help him overcome his stammer in this Tom Hooper film. The King's Speech is available on Google Play. Ghoomer: R Balki's Movie Starring Abhishek Bachchan-Saiyami Kher to Premiere at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

Million Dollar Baby

If you haven't watched this Clint Eastwood film, let's give you a fair warning - keep a box of tissues ready. This boxing drama, that won four Oscars, is about an amateur female boxer being trained by an elderly trainer to become a champion. However, things don't exactly go as their dreams, and we hope Ghoomer doesn't take that tragic route here. Million Dollar Baby is streaming on Prime Video.

Soorma

Unlike Ghoomer, Soorma is actually based on a real-person, hockey player Sandeep Singh, whose career was nearly cut short by an accident that left his paralysed, but through sheer determination and intensive physical therapy, manages to overcome his odds to return to the sports he loved. Diljit Dosanjh played the lead role in this Shaad Ali film, that also starred Taapsee Pannu and Angad Bedi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 04, 2023 01:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).