Film

Soorma

Name: Soorma
Genre: Drama
Released: 2018
Cast: Diljit Dosanjh, Taapsee Pannu, Danish Husain, Angad Bedi, Vijay Raaz

Biopic

Soorma is a sports biopic about Indian hockey player Sandeep Singh's comeback after a shooting accident left him paralyzed. It's an earnest, well-crafted story of determination and redemption that balances intimate character moments with inspiring athletic triumph. For anyone who loves underdog sports stories or films about overcoming impossible odds.

TMDb rating

3.6

If you liked this

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag2013

Another Indian sports biopic with infectious energy and genuine emotional stakes. Farhan Akhtar's performance as a runner overcoming poverty and trauma is electric, and the film captures both the gruelling training and the personal cost of ambition.

But Bollywood melodrama isn't for everyone, and the pacing occasionally sacrifices subtlety for sentiment. Some plot threads feel overwrought.

Dangal2016

Aamir Khan in a wrestling biopic about a father training his daughters to become champions. It's funny, moving, and genuinely inventive about how to make athletic training feel cinematic. The relationship between coach and student mirrors Soorma's own dynamic beautifully.

But Three and a half hours, and the film doesn't shy away from uncomfortable family dynamics. Not everyone wants their sports movie complicated by that kind of tension.

Chak De! India2007

Shah Rukh Khan as a disgraced hockey coach rebuilding India's women's team. It has the same underdog spirit as Soorma, with better comedic timing and a more interesting ensemble. The hockey sequences are genuinely thrilling.

But The romance subplot feels obligatory and slows the second half. Some viewers find the motivational speeches heavy-handed.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Soorma

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Murderball2005

Both films explore what's possible after catastrophic physical injury, but Murderball refuses sentimentality. Where Soorma builds redemption, Murderball asks: what if the injury was just a plot point, not the story?

A documentary about wheelchair rugby that rewires everything you think you know about disability and sport. The athletes are fierce competitors, not inspiration-porn subjects, and the film treats them with complete respect. Genuinely thrilling and darkly funny.

But It's a documentary and assumes no prior interest in rugby. Some viewers find sports docs tedious without narrative stakes.

Rocky1976

The template for every underdog sports film ever made, including Soorma. Stallone's committed performance and John G. Avildsen's direction turn a simple story into something mythic. Worth watching to understand why this structure works so powerfully.

But It's fifty years old and slower than modern films. The first half moves deliberately, which tests patience if you're not invested in character.

Million Dollar Baby2004

Clint Eastwood's film about a boxer and her coach shares Soorma's focus on a mentor-student relationship forged through sports. It's quieter and more morally complex, with extraordinary performances from Eastwood and Hilary Swank.

But This is a tragedy disguised as a sports film. If you want triumph and uplift, this will leave you devastated instead.

Slumdog Millionaire2008

Another Indian film that uses sport and ambition to explore determination against odds. Danny Boyle's energy and the inventive structure keep it moving, and it captures the texture of Indian life with the same specificity Soorma aims for.

But The framing device is clunky and the romance feels unearned. Some Indian viewers find it patronizing in its portrayal of poverty.

Man on Wire2008

A documentary about Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the Twin Towers. It has the same obsessive focus on preparation and the moment of triumph, reconstructed with wit and style. A masterclass in building suspense about a real event.

But It's a documentary, so if you want dialogue and character development you won't find it. The pacing is unconventional.

Cool Runnings1993

A scrappy, funny underdog film about Jamaica's bobsled team at the Winter Olympics. It's lighter than Soorma but hits similar beats: determination, humor, the collision between ambition and circumstance. Great ensemble cast with real chemistry.

But The humour is broad and often corny. If you need your underdog story played straight, this will feel too comedic.

The Wrestler2008

Mickey Rourke as an aging wrestler trying to rebuild his life and find meaning. It's grittier and sadder than Soorma, but shares the theme of athletic redemption and a body that must be pushed past its limits.

But This is bleak and unglamorous. There's no triumph here, only struggle. If you watch Soorma for inspiration, this offers the opposite.

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India2001

Both are Indian sports biopics rooted in national pride, but Lagaan uses sport as metaphor for colonialism and resistance. Soorma is intimate; Lagaan is mythic. Different registers, same DNA.

An Indian epic about a village challenging the British to a cricket match to escape taxation. It's operatic, three-and-a-half hours of ambition and beauty. The cricket sequences are stunning, the romance is earned, and it works as both sports film and historical drama.

But The length is genuine, and the musical interludes will alienate viewers unfamiliar with Bollywood conventions. It asks patience.

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India poster

The Dawn Wall2017

Like Soorma, it's about someone returning to an activity after life has tried to take it away. But where Soorma is about public redemption and national significance, The Dawn Wall is about two people pushing themselves into extreme isolation for personal integrity.

A documentary about two rock climbers attempting the most difficult big wall climb in history. Shot with vertiginous cinematography, it's about friendship, trust, and the willingness to suffer for something that has no practical purpose. Mesmerizing and meditative.

But It's a climbing documentary, so if heights make you uncomfortable it's genuinely difficult to watch. The pacing is glacial by design.