Mumbai: The Indian cricket team might be getting battered and bruised these days, but Bollywood is making yet another small film based on cricket mania.

Releasing some time around the World Cup next year, this film plans to cash in on the bat and pad fever as quickly as possible.

Salaam India, as director Subhash Kapoor claims, celebrates the success of the underdog.

The story is about a coach – played by Sanjay Suri – wanting to make a smalltown cricket team competent enough to take on their better equipped city rivals at a national level cricket tournament.

“The underdog winning always works for sports based films, particularly in India,” says Suri.

Though Salaam India doesn’t boast of a huge star cast or a big budget, director Subhash Kapoor is convinced that the theme which is very close to reality should work in his favour.

“Look at Dhoni, RP Singh from Indian cricket team. They all are small-towners,” says Kapoor.

In recent years, both Lagaan and Iqbal changed the fortunes of cricket-based movies. Both films were tales of normal people making history with sheer grit, a tribute to the underdog.

While Lagaan showed a way of earning freedom by playing good cricket, Iqbal touched many hearts.

Salaam India – hoping to tread the same line by bringing small town boys to the fore – might just click with a cricket-crazy masses.

After all, it’s the coming together – for the third time – of two of India’s biggest passions, cinema and cricket.

Credits: ibnlive.com