MS Dhoni, Dangal, Mary Kom: Indian sports films coming to Auckland cinemas. For free
The programme spans cricket, boxing, wrestling and football movies.
An Auckland film showcase is bringing blockbuster sports movies back to cinemas as part of the centenary celebrations of New Zealand–India sporting ties.
Auckland moviegoers will get a free run of some of Indian cinema’s best-known sports films later this month, with a citywide showcase bringing such titles as M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Dangal and Mary Kom back to the big screen.
The programme will also feature Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, Kai Po Che, Mr & Mrs Mahi and new Punjabi release Thaapi, with screenings planned from October 29 to November 22 across Takanini, the city centre, West Auckland and Ponsonby.
Tickets will be free and offered on a first-in, first-served basis. Listings will be added progressively to Eventfinda as individual screenings are confirmed, with M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story the first title to be listed so far.
The cinema programme is part of the wider '100 Years of Unity through Sport' celebrations marking a century of sporting ties between New Zealand and India.
The anniversary traces that relationship back to the 1926 tour of New Zealand by an Indian Army hockey team, with a wider programme of sporting, cultural and community events being held around the country this year.
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The Auckland film showcase spans cricket, boxing, wrestling and football, using some of Indian cinema’s most recognisable sports stories to bring a cultural element to the centenary programme.
The films are being brought back to the big screen by Forum Films, New Zealand’s biggest distributor of Indian films. The company's director, Pritesh Raniga, says cinema was a natural way to tell the story of the sporting relationship.
“Sport has always been much more than what happens on the field. In India especially, cinema has helped tell some of our most powerful sporting stories and introduced those stories to generations of people,” he told Awaaz.
“Bringing these films back to cinemas allows us to celebrate 100 years of sporting ties between India and New Zealand in a way that is entertaining, accessible and brings families and communities together.”
The showcase is being presented as part of the wider centenary programme involving Sport NZ and Auckland partners, with further screenings and booking details to be added as they are confirmed.
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story traces the rise of one of India’s most celebrated cricketers, Mary Kom follows the life of the Olympic boxer, while Dangal centres on wrestling and the Phogat family.
Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal turns to football, Kai Po Che uses cricket as part of a wider story of friendship and social change, while Mr & Mrs Mahi also places cricket at the centre of its story.
The inclusion of Thaapi gives the programme a more contemporary Punjabi entry alongside the better-known Hindi titles.
The programme will culminate on November 22 with Dangal in what organisers are describing as a grand finale across the city.
Organisers are positioning the cinema programme as a way of extending the centenary beyond sporting venues and into popular culture. The decision to spread screenings across several parts of Auckland also gives the programme a community dimension rather than concentrating it in one central venue.
