'Vallinam': New Tamil Movie, based on Basketball, to be released soon

Let's be honest here: there are a number of things plaguing basketball in India, and of course, the players and us fans pass the blame game to everything from inept organisation to inept coaching. But one of our favourite punching bags is a competing sport - Cricket - the sport that overshadows over everything and anything else in India, and the sport that dominates headlines and government attention over any other. As far as a fraternity of basketball fans are considered, Cricket is the 'villain'.

It seems that there's one Indian movie-maker that has decided to take the game's 'villainous' role a little too literally.

Tamil sport-drama film 'Vallinam' is set to be released early in this year, and - as early reports are any indication - the movie is set to pit basketball (the hero) vs. cricket (the villain). Directed by Arivazhaghan Venkatachalam, the film stars Tamil actor Nakul (the star basketball player, who plays for India) and newcomer Mrudhula Basker in the lead roles. Telugu actor Siddarth Jonnalagadda plays the villainous cricket player.

Tamil Nadu has a rich basketball tradition and some of India's best players and teams hail from that state. So of course, the movie has the potential to find a captive audience amongst hoop fans in TN. Apparently, the final scene of the movie is a basketball game between the Indian team and a foreign team at an expensive set in Thiyagaraya Nagar in Chennai.

So let's hope that the movie does what it intends to do, and promote the game of hoops the right way. But we don't neccessarily need to antagonise another game, do we? No, there is no chance that basketball - or any other sport - is going to eclipse cricket in this country. But if we are able to thrive in our own little niche, that would be fine.

Memo to Bollywood: Those random scenes in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Dhoom aren't enough. Let's give Indian basketball its proper due soon!