Bollywood is no longer just about mushy romantic tales, emotional dramas and comic capers. Desi filmmakers have now entered the sports field to score a winner at box office. While Hollywood has had its share of "field" moments with Million Dollar Baby, Escape to Victory and Chariots of Fire, the Hindi film industry, is gearing up for a bout of adrenaline rush. And a glut of sports-based films show that tinsel town is game for some "real" action. The year 2007 is set for a face-off with more than half a dozen flicks laced with sports.

Director Shimit Amin is back with the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Chak De India after 2004's Ab Tak Chhappan. Vivek Agnihotri of Chocolate fame is back with his next venture - Goal starring John Abraham, Arshad Warsi and Bipasha Basu. Likewise, Anil Sharma's Apne steps into the boxing ring as the father-son trio, Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby, turn boxers.

"We are a sports-loving nation. It's just that not many filmmakers have offered them quality sports movies. Today, audiences have become very intelligent to appreciate novel themes like sports. And don't forget they also want change," says Sharma.

Debutante Nisha Chainani takes the filmy plunge with Marathon followed by Chandrakant Kulkarni's Meerabai Not Out. The film stars Indian cricket favourite poster girl Mandira Bedi as an ardent Anil Kumble fan. In fact, the leg spinner will make a special appearance in the film. "It's the story of a cricket fan and couple of months in her life. I don't think, till date, any other film has ever represented the masses. Meerabai Not Out is more special for me because I am doing something that I love a lot," says Mandira.

Interestingly, directors seem to be specially kicked about soccer. Besides Goal, football also plays an intrinsic role in Shaad Ali's Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (JBJ) and Dino Morea-Milind Soman-starrer Bhram. In JBJ, Abhishek Bachchan plays a die-hard Chelsea fan. Even debutante Vicky Singh, ex-assistant to Farhan Akhtar, plans Raaste with John, Abhishek, Sikandar Kher and Aishwarya Rai. While John plays a biker, Abhishek is a car racer and Sikandar drives a truck in the film.

"It's an exciting period with a slew of sports movies. But I am sure all the filmmakers will attempt some thing new and different from each other," says Kaal director Soham Shah, who will soon start his film on adventure sports.

Besides biggies, a small-budget film Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii, based around a magical cricket bat, will also rub shoulders with the box office. Interestingly, the dream merchants are not fielding for just cricket. They are raring to jump off the beaten track as a cricket crazy nation learns the nitty gritties of Formula One and Tour de France. So, if Chak De India deals with a girl's hockey team, showman Subhash Ghai gives a glam touch to cycling in Cycle Kick.

"I hope the film makes a positive impact on the game and promotes it. We require huge sponsorships for hockey in present times," commented SRK.

While Marathon depicts the power of running, soccer pumps up the passion in Goal. "Football is a cinematic sport. It has the maximum aggression, style and energy. Plus, viewers love and know about soccer more than any other game. Conversely, cricket is a leisure game with prolonged pauses," says Agnihotri, who calls himself a true soccer buff.

On the other hand, Raaste brings alive the rugged racing tracks of Mexico. Says Raaste co producer Shabbir Boxwala, "Today, people are as excited about Formula One and racing as cricket matches. Especially, the younger generation is more than game for offbeat sports. So, it makes sense to cash in on the craze."

Come to think of it, Boxwala doesn't sound ambitious with youngsters glued in for English Premier League and French Open. "Today, players such as Sania Mirza, Michael Schumacher and David Beckham are as popular as any other cricketer," says choreographer-turned director Ahmed Khan, who also plans a soccer flick.

Thanks to sports-literate audiences and quality conscious directors, authenticity and research are the order of the day. For starters, Agnihotri roped in famous football choreographer Andy Ansah to train his actors. Not many know, Ansah has choreographed the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Beckham, Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney for commercials. "Training is of paramount importance to bring correctness on the screen. As a director, I can't take care of the technical aspects of movie-making," says Agnihotri.

Goal has been entirely shot in London including the prominent Manchester United stadium. Yash Raj Films went a step ahead to tieup with the Chelsea football club. "Remember, fans today are more than aware about various games. And it's difficult to fool them with mediocre products," adds Agnihotri.

John, Abhishek and Sikandar will also undergo a three week-long training for Raaste. Sports choreographer Steve Kelso, who trained Saif Ali Khan for the recently released Ta Ra Rum Pum, will conduct the classes. Plus, Hollywood's ace photographer Ivor Shier (of Babel and Collateral fame) has been hired by Singh to shoot the race sequences. "Being a difficult terrain, training is important for actors. After all, the look of a film should be authentic," opines Boxwala. Similarly, several Australian choreographers trained Deol's for the boxing arena. "Since boxing is a tough game, there were intensive training sessions complete with a real boxing ring," informs Sharma.

Several sports movies notwithstanding, the only unifying factor is their underdog tale. SRK, in Chak De India, plays a hockey player who returns after seven years to coach a girl's team. In Goal, John turns out to be a trump card for his football league. Again, three racers try to live their dream on the dirt tracks of Mexico in Raaste. "People can easily identify with underdogs. There is an instant emotional connection with them," says Subhash Kapoor, who made Say Salaam India about small town boys making it big in the cricket world.

Chainani also uses sports' passion to reconstruct the broken lives of her characters. In Apne, Bobby Deol fights to remove the blot on his father's boxing career. In the past too, Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan, Nagesh Kukunoor's Iqbal and Mansoor Khan's Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar have successfully struck a chord with the audience. "Everyone sympathises with underdogs and want them to succeed," adds Kapoor.

Turn back the clock and it's clear that desi sports flicks haven't enjoyed a rollicking innings at the ticket windows. Barring a few films like Hip Hip Hurray, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Lagaan and most recently Iqbal, sports is yet to take the centrestage in tinseltown.

"As a sports-crazy nation, we must have more films on the subject. After all, they have an universal appeal," says trade expert Taran Adarsh. No wonder then, five more sports flicks are geared up to hit the Bollywood turf.

The first one off the block will be Soham's film starring Ajay Devgan, who is also producing it along with Kumar Mangat. Next in line is Ghai's Cycle Kick, directed by Shashi Sudigala. Newcomer Sanjay Chauhan directs Lahore about kickboxing.

"It's a very bold story, which hasn't been attempted in Bollywood yet," says producer Sunil Chauhan, who plans to release Lahore by the end of this year.

However, the biggest surprise could easily be David Dhawan. After tickling funny bones, the comedy king now makes Hook Ya Crook, featuring Amrita Rao and Siddharth of Rang De Basanti fame, with a "good dose" of cricket. "It's the most interesting script to come out of UTV," said Siddharth Roy Kapur of UTV, which is producing the film.

Then, Ahmed also plans to make a multi-starrer about football - Mazhab, earlier titled Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar. The movie reportedly stars Nana Patekar playing the coach of a team comprising Viviek Oberoi, Suneil Shetty, Arjun Rampal, Sohail Khan, Bobby Deol and Aftab Shivdasani. "I am through with the casting and screenplay, but let everyone else make their films, I will start later," says Ahmed.

Incidentally, viewers have already stumped films like Aryan - The Unbreakable, Hat Trick and Say Salaam India earlier this year. "We haven't had a sports culture for long, but it has changed in the past few years. Finally, sports is permeating our lifestyles," says Kapoor.

So, the tagline this year for Bollywood must be: 'play on.'