Champion (ఛాంపియన్) is an ambitious film from a first-feature director and a literal first-feature star, describing a historical tragedy that few people knew. From an idea conceived during the pandemic, it took 2 years for Writer-Director Pradeep Advaitham to pull his story and crew together. The result is an entertaining epic period piece that hangs together pretty well, has excellent performances, several good dance numbers, and some soccer.
In the Story
Roshann Meka stars as Michael C Williams, an extremely talented footballer in 1940s Secunderabad, in the then state of Hyderabad. He is the best player in an Indian league but hopes his talent will get him a tryout with Manchester United in England. But while Michael is offered a contract by a visiting ManU scout, because his father fought against the British, he cannot officially travel to England. The scout tells Michael to get to England anyway he can, and he can tryout.
To earn money and illicit passage, Michael and his buddy (Harish Kumar as Shabbir) agree to run guns across India. India has just been freed of British rule, and self-protection is necessary amongst the chaos and private militias.
After significant mishaps, Michael and his gun-running truck end up in the small Hindu village of Bairanpally. The villagers want Hyderabad to join the Indian Union in order to escape the oppressive rule of the Nizam (prince). The muslim Nizam wants Hyderabad to be a nation independent of India or Pakistan, and his violent militia group known as the Razakars has attacked the dissenting village without success.
Michael and his buddy initially hide their true identities and purpose. But as they grow to see the village as the home they never had, they step up to defend the village as their own. In one implausible scene, a Hyderabad policeman, who in the past has lost to Michael on the football pitch, forces Michael to try to score a goal against policemen on horseback who wield machetes and spears.
Because the narrative is based on the true story of the Bairanpally Massacre, Michael and the village do not prevail against the combined forces of the Razakars and the Nizam’s police force. But the story of the village’s willingness to defend itself to the death causes the Indian government to take action. Within a month, the Nizam’s forces capitulate, and Hyderabad joins the Indian Union.
Muslim-Hindu conflict
I greatly shortened the above synopsis of this 2 hour and 45 minute saga, even though one could write more about the film’s individual stories and character development. In my research, I became interested in the massacre and the overall Muslim-Hindu conflict in India that continues today, some 60 years later.
I found it was hard to find uncontested facts about Bairanpally (it’s also spelled Bhairanpally): how many were killed, were Muslim villagers spared, who attacked the village, did villagers really have guns and cannons to defend themselves, etc. I also discovered that after Hyderabad joined the Indian Union, the Indian Army apparently massacred thousands of Muslims in retaliation (see BBC article Sep-2013).
The answer to what’s true may rest in this Nov-02-2023 quote from Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed:
History is not merely an academic discipline in our country but an intrinsic part of the citizensʼ psyche, which makes it fungible—a slate on which claims and counterclaims continue to be made, with the negotiation honing modern identities and assuring the resentful survival of ancient vendettas.
I hope that Champion does not foster more Muslim-hate in India. It was surprising to read that after joining India, the repressive Nizam was subsequently publicly elected Raj of the State of Hyderabad, until it was split up in 1956. I had also read that at the time of the massacre, the State’s population was largely Hindu, and that the Muslim ruling class was a minority but possessed the wealth (largely from diamond mines).
In Conclusion
Roshann Meka as Michael C Williams really carries this film, with his cheeky persona and a joy of living selfishly that becomes a mantle of sacrifice that he shoulders willingly. He is also a good dancer. His soccer is ok. I would watch this movie just to watch him.
7 Soccer Movie Mom Rating = 7
Resources:
- Released: 2025-12-25 (India)
- Original title is ఛాంపియన్
- 2 hrs 45 mins
- I watched this on Netflix
- In Hindi-Telugu with English sub-titles
- IMDB
- WIKI
- Director: Pradeep Advaitham
- Stars: Roshann Meka (Michael C Williams)
- Watch the Trailer in Hindi
