Kho Kho is arguably India’s most dynamic traditional sport – a fast-paced chase game with ancient roots – yet it has never been brought to the big screen despite the recent surge in its popularity. The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup 2025 in Delhi drew staggering attention: each match attracted 2.6 million unique viewers on TV (with an average watch time of 53.2 minutes), and its social media campaign generated over 2.2 million engagements across platforms (e.g. Instagram 784K, YouTube 112K). Meanwhile, the Ultimate Kho Kho league has exploded in just two seasons, reaching 164 million viewers across media with a 41% female audience. Yet Indian cinema has produced blockbusters from other sports – Dangal, Chak De! India, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Mary Kom, Lagaan, Panga, and more – that have resonated nationwide. Why has Kho Kho, with its rich heritage and newfound global following, remained a blind spot for filmmakers? We explore the factors at play, the untapped storytelling potential of the sport, and why now is the ideal moment for Kho Kho to hit the silver screen.
Ancient Heritage and Cultural Roots
Kho Kho’s origins lie deep in India’s cultural heritage. Legend has it that the game was inspired by Mahabharata warfare: the young warrior Abhimanyu famously used a penetrating strategy (the Chakravyuha) against fortified lines, a tactic echoed in Kho Kho’s tag-and-run style. In Sanskrit it was called “Rathera” (chariot race), played originally on chariots. Modern Kho Kho was codified in Pune’s Deccan Gymkhana in the early 1900s, with India’s first nationals held in 1959–60. The sport spread throughout South Asia, and today Kho Kho is played in 56 countries worldwide – from Pakistan to Iran to Peru – even though it’s still relatively unknown outside its heartland. Its rich backstory (from epic legend to Lokmanya Tilak’s Deccan Gymkhana) is the kind of cultural tapestry a cinema narrative can embrace, yet movies have yet to tap this heritage.
Young players crouch in anticipation during a high-stakes Kho Kho match. The sport’s emphasis on speed, strategy and split-second action (captured here) lends itself naturally to cinematic drama.
A Modern Revival: World Cup and League Take-Off
This year, Kho Kho has shed its modest image and exploded onto the global stage. January 2025 saw the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup in New Delhi, with 23 nations (39 teams, men’s and women’s) competing. Major brands (EaseMyTrip, Zomato, etc.) and Bollywood stars (Salman Khan, Tiger Shroff) backed the event, reflecting its commercial thrust. Organizers reported Rs. 40 crore in sponsorship deals and 2.6M viewers per match. Social media buzz was off the charts: posts and videos reached millions, school programs engaged 10 lakh children, and even Hollywood’s famed “spidercam” debuted in a Kho Kho match.
Simultaneously, the Ultimate Kho Kho franchise league (UKK) launched in 2022 and has only climbed since. Season 1 (2022) – a week-long Pune tournament – drew ~41 million domestic viewers and, according to media reports, a cumulative 164 million across TV/OTT. It became “the third-highest-viewed non-cricket league” in India. The league clocked 225 million video views on social media and 60 million social interactions, netting over ₹132 crore in media value. Season 2 (Dec 2023-Jan 2024) only amplified this: insiders report “close to a quarter-billion video views” (a 178% jump), 100+ million views generated by influencer content, and 135+ million organic views. Such metrics dwarf even some cricket and kabaddi events, proving a voracious audience for Kho Kho.
These numbers – World Cup viewership in the low millions per match and UKK league audiences in the hundreds of millions – would be marketing gold for any film. Yet Bollywood filmmakers have largely remained aloof from this sports revolution. Kho Kho Champions, A famous Kho Kho promoting Digital Media Agency reported a total Kho Kho influencers reach of 120M on Instagram with 80M views, along with 4M views on Facebook and 500K views on YouTube.
Record-Breaking Reach and Engagement
The world has taken notice. According to the sports analytics firm YouGov, 41% of Kho Kho’s TV audience is female, an unusually high share for a debut league. Viewership was split evenly between urban and rural viewers, indicating broad appeal. Social media soared: UKK’s inaugural season notched 225 million video views and 60 million interactions, rivaling big IPL and PSL highlights. The World Cup’s official digital campaign similarly trended on all platforms, as Sportz Interactive reports (Instagram 784K likes/comments; Facebook 38K; Twitter 19K).
In short, Kho Kho is no longer a basement sport; it commands serious fan engagement. Yet even as sponsors and broadcasters piled in (Sony Sports, Disney+ Hotstar, Tata Neu, CEAT, IndianOil, etc.), the film industry has sat on the sidelines. The contrast is stark: sports like wrestling, hockey, athletics and boxing have inspired multiple hit films, but Kho Kho’s surge in fans and media value is vastly unrepresented in popular culture.
Bollywood’s Sports Blockbusters – and Kho Kho’s Absence
When it comes to sports cinema, Bollywood has a strong track record. Recent high-grossing examples include:
- Dangal (2016), the biopic of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, which crossed ₹300 crore domestically and became one of India’s biggest blockbusters.
- Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), the Milkha Singh biopic, which grossed about ₹164 crore worldwide.
- Chak De! India (2007), Shah Rukh Khan’s hockey saga, which earned roughly ₹102 crore globally and is celebrated as a classic.
- Mary Kom (2014), the boxer’s biopic, a hit with ₹86 crore box-office.
- Lagaan (2001), the Cricket-based epic, which grossed ~₹66 crore despite releasing two decades ago (adjusted for inflation, an even bigger success).
- Panga (2020), a recent Ranveer Singh badminton drama, which nonetheless underperformed (≈₹15–20 Cr), illustrating that not all sports films succeed, but major releases can draw large crowds.
Each of these films captured public imagination and often pulled from India’s sporting pride (women wrestlers, Flying Sikh, hockey team, a woman boxer, villagers at cricket). Their success underscores how sports stories — rich in drama, heroism and emotion — can hit box-office home runs. By contrast, Kho Kho has had no equivalent cinematic telling. The lack of a single notable Kho Kho film (outside of a little-known 2021 Malayalam drama) reveals a cultural gap. Audiences have seen India’s underdog athletes on screen; yet the young, agile players of Kho Kho – who have achieved international success – remain unseen.
Two Films in a Century: A Neglected Genre
Only 2 known Indian movies have tackled Kho Kho:
Malayalam – Kho Kho (2021): A sports drama directed by Rahul Riji Nair, starring Rajisha Vijayan as a former athlete turned PE teacher who forms an all-girls Kho Kho team. Though heartwarming and empowering, it had limited impact, primarily due to its short theatrical run caused by COVID-19 and moderate visibility via OTT platforms.
Guru Shishyaru- Kho Kho (2022): Manohar, a former Kho Kho national champion, joins a school as a PT teacher to garner experience and make some money. However, he inadvertently bonds with his students and the villagers.
In contrast, other Indian sports have enjoyed dozens of adaptations, with major stars, budgets, and awards.
Cinema’s Blind Spot: Cultural and Commercial Barriers
Why has Kho Khobeen sidelined? Several factors contribute:
- Perception and Prestige: Kho Kho is still largely seen as a rural or school-level pastime, not a “glamorous” sport. Filmmakers may have underestimated its appeal. Traditionalists often call it a backyard game, so producers might fear it lacks star value or crossover excitement.
- Narrative Familiarity: Unlike cricket or boxing, Kho Kho has few familiar heroes. There’s no superstar Kho Kho player with fan-following akin to Dhoni or Milkha. Storytellers may feel they lack a ready-made legend to dramatize.
- Commercial Viability: No proven track record makes financiers wary. Bollywood likes safe bets, and Kho Kho’s box-office potential is untested. Investors often prefer biopics of established icons or cricket-related stories with known returns.
- Cinematic Language: The sport’s rules and pace are complex to convey; each match is under an hour with split-second gameplay. Screenwriters might struggle to translate its “speed and tag” action into thrilling visuals. In contrast, wrestling (Dangal) or boxing (Saala Khadoos) has straightforward physical combat that maps easily to fight scenes.
- Marketing Mindset: Past attempts to globalize Kho Kho have been incremental. Bollywood marketing teams may simply overlook a sport that hasn’t historically been on par with cricket or even kabaddi. Without a high-profile campaign to elevate Kho Kho’s image, it remains off the radar.
No authoritative study exists on Bollywood’s reasoning, but industry watchers note that risk-aversion often stifles innovation. As one executive quipped, “Bollywood knows underdog sports well, but rarely looks at homegrown games as cinematic fodder.” These barriers, largely perceptual and financial, form a cycle: no movies mean limited public awareness, which in turn makes filmmakers hesitant.
Untapped Cinematic Potential: Fast and Fearless Stories
This cultural neglect is a lost opportunity. Kho Kho’s gameplay and ethos offer rich storytelling material:
- High-Octane Action: Matches are a blur of speed and splits – chasers sprinting, defenders weaving – providing instant visual excitement. A chase sequence, freeze-frames of near-tags, clutch last-second saves: directors could film Kho Kho similarly to chase scenes in thrillers. Think overhead “spidercam” angles, slo-mo touchdown moments.
- Underdog Heroism: Many Kho Kho players come from small towns or marginalized communities. A film could follow a village team’s rise, echoing Chak De! India’s hockey squad. For example, a story of a plucky rural girls’ team overcoming personal and societal obstacles (education, gender bias) could resonate powerfully.
- Women’s Empowerment: Kho Kho is notably inclusive of women. The 2025 World Cup featured both men’s and women’s events, with Nepal’s women’s team making headlines. A female-led Kho Kho film could spotlight empowerment, akin to Mary Kom or Dangal. The sport’s collaborative, strategic nature aligns with modern themes of teamwork and female agency.
- Heritage and Identity: A narrative could weave Kho Kho’s Mahabharata roots into a modern journey – bridging mythology and today’s ambitions. For instance, a film might parallel a family’s legacy (a grandson inspired by Abhimanyu’s legend) to reclaim pride in a traditional game.
- International Angle: With over 23 countries in the World Cup, even global storylines are possible. One could imagine a romping sports comedy or drama about an African or Peruvian team coming to India to learn Kho Kho (reflecting global fixtures) and clashing friendly with Indian players. This underlines kho-kho’s new international face.
Such threads – speed, local flavor, empowerment, heritage – tick all the boxes of Bollywood’s successful sports narratives. Instead of “Will the village boys learn cricket?” we could have “Will this traditional team compete with the world?”. The fact that Ultimate Kho Kho brought in foreign players for Season 3 demonstrates Kho Kho’s new horizons, ripe for cross-cultural storytelling.
Now Is the Moment: Crossing the Finish Line
All signs point to now as the right time for a Kho Kho film. The sport’s profile has never been higher: 56 countries play it, the Youth Olympic Games and Asian Games have contemplated its inclusion, and a passionate fanbase spans multiple generations. Streaming platforms (Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar) hungry for diverse content might embrace a fresh sports saga in Hindi or other Indian languages. Regional cinema could lead the charge: the 2021 Malayalam movie Kho Kho (about a girls’ school team) hinted at possibilities, though it saw limited release. Pan-India projects (Hindi, Tamil, etc.) could amplify Kho Kho’s reach, similar to how Thappad or Soorarai Pottru transcended regional niches through streaming.
In summary: Kho Kho’s explosive growth in viewership and engagement – millions tuned in to watch, shop and support the game – underscores a ready-made audience. High-profile world events and commercial sponsorships signal a sports renaissance. Meanwhile, every other major Indian sport has found its cinematic champion. As the Kho Kho community loudly proclaims on International Kho Kho Day, “India’s soul, now the world’s chase.” Filmmakers looking for fresh, homegrown stories would do well to heed that call. It’s time to chase Kho Kho, not let it chase obscurity any longer.
Sources: Data and quotes are drawn from event reports, media analytics, and sports press, which document the sport’s metrics, heritage, and comparisons with Indian sports cinema.
By Prince Raj,
Founder & CEO– Kho Kho Champions