With ‘Mary Kom’ looming in the horizon, it seems biopics are the flavor of the season. As a recent prelude, ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag’ — the story of the legendary sprinter, set off a running start at many award ceremonies, including (International Indian Film Academy) IIFA. So, is the biopic, the next filmy formula to click?

‘Mary Kom’ has been in the news ever since the announcement was made. The story of a determined girl who strikes gold in the world of boxing, was declared tax-free in Maharashtra, a week before its Sept. 5 release. Based on the Olympic bronze medalist boxer, Priyanka Chopra plays the character of this five-time world boxing champion. The tale is about her life, where her sheer grit and determination shines through, as she moves from a humble daughter of a landless farmer in Manipur, to become a super-duper winner. Incidentally, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is the venue for the world-premiere of ‘Mary Kom’.

Bollywood seems to be zeroing in on sports stars, as it were. Will the Indian cricket skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s leadership skills be immortalized on celluloid? If reports are to be believed, the rights of this biopic are open for around Rs 45 crores - a staggering amount, which is said to put action on a slow burn. Director Neeraj Pandey wanted to make this biopic with actor Sushant Singh Rajput. But it seems he is clearly in a fix now, as the producers may find it very difficult to rake in profits from the film, specially with the buying rights hitting the roof!

Whipping up the trend are perhaps the recent success of biopics such as ‘Chak De India’, ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag’ and ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ - all of which clicked with the audience.

Setting aside his romantic image, Shah Rukh Khan had portrayed a former hockey player, who had fallen from grace in ‘Chak De India’ in 2007. This was inspired by the life of Indian hockey player Mir Ranjan Negi. The story unfolds as he coaches an underdog, reluctant female hockey team — all the way to victory.

Another biopic on an Indian athlete Paan Singh Tomar, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, was based on the true story of a runner who turned into a bandit. Indian crossover actor Irrfan Khan was up and running, in the lead role here.

“The key to a biopic is to figure out first whether the story of the person’s life is worth telling,”said Siddharth Roy Kapur, Managing Director of UTV — after the success of ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag’ and ‘Paan Singh Tomar’.

Recently revealing his desire to play Yuvraj Singh in a biopic on the cricketer’s life, was Abhishek Bachchan. “I would love to do a biopic on Yuvraj Singh. I love the career graph of Yuvi. It’s fantastic,” Junior Bachchan said.

Word is out that after Shah Rukh Khan opted out of the project, Ranbir Kapoor might play the role of Dhyan Chand in yet another upcoming biopic on the hockey star. This movie will showcase how the sportsman’s extraordinary game earned him 3 consecutive Olympic gold medals between 1928 and 1936.

The latest is that filmmakers approached track-and-field athlete P T Usha — to transport her life on the silver screen - presenting to the world, how she became the first Indian woman to reach the final of an Olympic event. Plus, this would be an opportunity for her to set the record for the most gold medals bagged at the 1985 Asian Track & Field Meet.

If one remembers, Hollywood has been burning the screen with biopics on sportsman periodically. Boxers were the protagonists in many a film. There was ‘Ali’ (2001), which starred Will Smith as the legendary boxer — Mohammad Ali, which clinched many prestigious awards; it was even nominated for the Academy Awards in many categories. ‘Cindrella Man’, starring Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger, was based on the inspiring story of a boxer, Jim Braddock.

In 2009 ‘Invictus’ — played by Matt Damon was based on Francois Pienaar, whose rustic rugby skills led South Africa to a first-time victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Hollywood is believed to have been planning a Lance Armstrong biopic for years. Also golfer Tiger Woods and para-Olympian Oscar Pistorius biopics are under the scanner in Hollywood land. Perhaps, it’s time for Bollywood to emulate Hollywood. And, as all signs point to the fact that — biopics may not really run out of steam!