Abhishek Bachchan‘s latest sports drama film Ghoomer draws inspiration from the astonishing life of Olympic gold medalist Károly Takács. The film is directed by R. Balki and sheds light on the extraordinary story of Takács, a Hungarian shooter who defied all odds after a severe injury. He was the third known physically disabled sportsperson who competed in the Olympic Games. Ghoomer stars Shabana Azmi, Abhishek Bachchan, Saiyami Kher, and Angad Bedi.
The film premiered worldwide as the opening film at the 12th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne on August 12, 2023, and hit theaters in India on August 18, 2023.
Check out the trailer for the film:
Is Abhishek Bachchan starrer film based on a true story?
Ghoomer revolves around the story of Anina. A young batting prodigy whose life takes a drastic turn when she loses her right hand in an accident. She then decides to give up on playing cricket further until a callous, failed cricketer gives her new hope. Paddy decides to train her with unusual techniques and ends up inventing a new style of bowling.
Contrary to many speculations, Ghoomer does not revolve around any Indian cricket star but focuses on a fictional yet powerful narrative that talks about the resilience and determination of Károly Takács.
The film is loosely based on a true story and has a fictional narrative. The film begins with a disclaimer acknowledging that it draws inspiration from the real-life journey of Károly Takács, a shooter whose right arm was gravely injured due to a faulty grenade.
Who was Károly Takács?
Károly Takács was born in Budapest in 1910. He enrolled himself in the Hungarian Army at a young age and trained in pistol shooting, later becoming a world-class shooter. However, he desired to participate in the Summer Olympics in 1936, but the organizers denied him due to his rank as a sergeant, as they only authorized commissioned officers to compete. Subsequently, after the Berlin Games, the organizers lifted the prohibition, granting Takács the opportunity to finally participate in the 1940 Summer Olympics.
During his army training in 1938, Takács suffered severe injuries from a faulty grenade explosion. Despite losing control of his right hand, he remained determined to continue his shooting career. He trained himself to shoot with his left hand and ended up winning the Hungarian national pistol shooting championship in 1939. He even won the 1939 UIT World Shooting Championships as a part of the Hungarian team.
Takács later participated in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London and won a gold medal after beating Argentine Carlos Enrique Díaz Sáenz Valiente. He won his second gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki in the same event.
He did not, however, manage to take home his third medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, where he placed eighth. In the 1958 ISSF World Shooting Championships, he placed third in the 25-meter center-fire pistol event.
Eventually, he gave up on pursuing his shooting career and became a coach. He went on to train Hungarian Szilárd Kun, who later won a silver medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Stream Ghoomer on Zee5 now.
