Forgotten Hero.

In our cricket obsessed country, other sports vie for attention; which unfortunately seldom comes their way. Sure we know of tennis, thanks to Mahesh Bhupati, Leander Paes and Sania Mirza. Most of us, only heard of Mir Ranjan Negi after Shah Rukh Khan played his character in Chak de! More surprising fact is that the Indian (men's) hockey team won 11 Olympic gold medal; 6 of them succesive wins! And we have no idea who the players were, and what happened after the fame faded away. Many died penniless without any help from the government. Many vowing to never let any of their family members play the game. Hockey players weren't the only ones subjected to such apathy, many such sportsmen died forgotten by the country.

Amongst many such unsung heroes is the following...




Failed to recognise him??

Ok here's a hint...




Yes, that's the real Paan Singh Tomar, the 7 times national steeplechase winner. He also represented India at the 1958 Asian games in Japan. Despite bringing much glory to the country, he was left to fend for himself with little help from the government. Forced to take up arms, Paan Singh Tomar became a dacoit in the notorious Chambal valley to safeguard his family. He would have remained forgotten in the pages of history; but for the biopic "Paan Singh Tomar" written by Sanjay Chouhan and directed by Trigmanshu Dhulia.

Paan Singh Tomar is played by the very talented Irrfan Khan, and after watching the movie, one can't imagine anyone else playing the part. Irrfan Khan plays the role to perfection and is a delight to watch.

2012 will see and lot more movies; big budget, bigger stars, but I doubt anyone will come even close to Paan Singh Tomar. It is unarguably the best movie of the year.

If there is one movie that you just can't miss; it is this.