10 Telugu Films Where Sport Was an Integral Part of The Story

Without a shadow of doubt, one can say that Okkadu marked the rise of Mahesh Babu as a superstar. Set in the faction backdrop, this Gunashekar racy entertainer tells the story of an aspiring Kabaddi player. The film garnered eight Nandi Awards along with four Filmfare awards. 

After the big success of Ashta Chamma, award-winning filmmaker Indraganti Mohana Krishna came up with another gripping tale Golkonda High School. Without any worthless speeches, this cricket-centric sports drama takes back the audiences to their good old school days. It is based on the book The Men Within written by Ram Mohan Paruvu.

Loosely based on Aamir Khan’s 1992 Bollywood film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Thammudu became a sensational hit creating a huge fan base for Power star Pawan Kalyan. It tells the story of a happy-go-lucky guy Subramanyam, who’s disciplined commitment towards kickboxing makes him a champion one day.

S.S. Rajamouli’s third film Sye is one of the best sports films ever made in Tollywood. The director has successfully brought in Rugby, one of the many versions of football played in England, into the very center of the film. It unites the two rivalry student groups of a college and makes them eventually win over their common enemy. The film was later dubbed and released in Malayalam as well as Hindi.

Although the film is predominantly about mother-son relationship, without kickboxing as the key element, it would have become another overdramatic sentimental Telugu movie. The soul of the film lies in the sport of kickboxing, which plays a major role in the life of the lead’s parted parents. And Chandu’s (played by Ravi Teja) rise as a kick-boxer in the film. Asin, Jayasudha and Prakash Raj, everyone gave top-notch performances in this Puri Jagan film. 

Sudha Kongara’s Guru is a remake of her own Tamil sports-drama Irudhi Suttru. This heart-warming boxing drama features Venkatesh and Ritika Singh playing coach and boxer, respectively. The film deals with several issues in and out of the field of sports. From political interference to sexual harassment, Sudha Kongara tries to bring in everything possible in the life of a boxer. 

Revolving around a group of youngsters who passionately love the sport of Kabaddi, Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu stands as one of the very realistic films made in Telugu. Even though it is a remake of the Tamil movie Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu, the debutant director Satya Tatineni has interestingly contextualised it to make it appealing to the native Telugu. Nani and Saranya Mohan played the lead roles. 

Director Venki’s Kabaddi Kabaddi is another village love story centered on a rural team game, Kabaddi. Jagapathi Babu plays Rambabu, an unmarried youth, who takes up the challenge to win a Kabaddi tournament for his love. Actress Kalyani plays the female lead. 

Featuring Srihari as Taekwondo champion and Vijay Chander as his guru, Bhadrachalam proves what heights can a sportsperson reach if he/she finds the right coach. Notably, lyricist Sudhhala Ashok Teja received a National Award for penning Okate Jananam Okate Maranam song for this film. 

Perhaps Ashwini is the first biographical sports film made in Telugu. Ashwini Nachappa played herself in the film. It traces the significant events that happened in the life-journey of the national sprinter. The film received several accolades from all over along with a Nandi Award for Ashwini Nachappa.