'Gold', movie on 1948 Olympic hockey triumph set to release on Independence day in 2018
Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has announced the release date for his new movie which revolves around India’s first Olympic gold medal as an independent nation. The first look of the feature film titled ‘Gold’ was released earlier today with Akshay confirming that the movie was indeed based on the historic 1948 Olympic Games, where the Indian field hockey team won the gold medal.
The 1948 Games was significant in many ways as the biggest sporting extravaganza had returned after a gap of 12 years because of the devastating World War II. Branded as the second stage of the golden era of India’s hockey, the team had gone to London to replenish the glory of the old days.
With the legendary Dhyan Chand not featuring for team India, the Leslie Claudius led side battled against all odds on their way to triumph. Some consider the success of the hockey team at the 1948 Olympics to be a more significant victory, as India became independent just a year back.
1948 also marked the first occasion that the British fielded a team since India’s entry to the Olympic fold. India was dominating throughout the tournament and in the final, they met the British side. The history between the two countries added to the hype of the final, in which the Indians routed the British 4-0.
The movie looks like another winner from Akshay Kumar, who is known for starring in patriotic films and portraying intense roles. Kumar, himself being a sports enthusiast also has a penchant for films that revolve around sports.
Also read: 1948 Olympics: Fourth gold medal healed wounds of partition
The film, with ‘Talaash’ director Reema Kagti at its helm, is all set to go on floors next year. Produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani under the banner of Excel Entertainment, ‘Gold’ is set to release on 15 August 2018 on occasion of the Independence Day.
The first look poster that was released along with the announcement has the gold medal of the 1948 Olympic Games, with India’s flag on the backdrop and looks like another massive hit from the superstar.
The last film that was based on hockey was the Shah Rukh Khan starer ‘Chak De! India’, and it was a huge hit earning plaudits from critics and fans alike. We have to wait until 2018 to find out whether ‘Gold’ matches up to the level of the 2007 film.