Hindustan Times: Punjabi movie to depict hockey legacy of Sansarpur village

By Saurabh Duggal

A blend of non-fiction and fiction, the story revolves around life of two Punjabi NRI brothers settled in England. They move back to their roots with aim to make hockey thrive again in their native village

Sansarpur, a village in Punjab’s Jalandhar, has long been known for its hockey legacy, with 15 Olympic medals won by its natives. And it was high that silver screen took note. Punjabi movie ‘Khido Khundi’ — local dialect for ‘ball and hockey’ — to be released early next year will blend non-fiction and fiction to put Sansarpur on the map of current memory.

The movie travels back to the golden period of Indian hockey in which Punjab, particularly Sansarpur, had a major contribution. Plus, it covers the present scenario in which Sansarpur has all but lost that sheen. Much of it is shot in the village, besides parts in London.

The fiction part is about two Punjabi NRI brothers settled in England who move back to their roots, to Sansarpur, where their father once used to be the caretaker of the hockey field before migrating to England. With the aim to revive the game and help of the village youth, they form a team and challenge an English club in a three-match series.

“We will be showing the glorious past of Sansarpur’s hockey by using old clips of Olympics (1920 to 1968) and have also shown photographs of all 14 Olympians, including four representing Kenya and one Canada, from the village. We did lot of research and took help of the Olympians,” producer-director Rohit Jugraj said after the poster launch on Friday.

Ranjit Bawa, singer-actor, is the male lead, while Mandy Takhar is the heroine. Manav Vij, who has acted in Bollywood films such as ‘Udta Punjab’ and ‘Naam Shabana’, is also in the cast along with Iranian model Naaz Norouzi, who is making her debut.

Also at the launch was Col Balbir Singh (retired), who was part of the 1968 Olympics squad that won bronze. He told HT, “This was long overdue. For a decade now, we have been trying to highlight the glorious past of Sansarpur and introduce it to the new generation, but somehow we were unable to take it to a pan-India level. This movie is a good initiative and I hope it succeeds.” There were five players from the village in the 1968 Moscow Olympics squad alone, while another two with roots here were part of the Kenyan team. All Olympic medallists from Sansarpur belong to the clan of Kulars.