Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)

Dil Chahta Hai

Three inseparable childhood friends are just out of college. Nothing comes between them - until they each fall in love, and their wildly different approaches to relationships creates tension.

Mela

Best mates Kishen and Shankar decide to help village belle Roopa avenge her family's death, but their friendship is tested in the process.

Rang De Basanti

After a group of friends graduate from Delhi University, they listlessly haunt their old campus, until a British filmmaker casts them in a film she's making about freedom fighters under British rule. Although the group is largely apolitical, the tragic death of a friend owing to local government corruption awakens their patriotism. Inspired by the freedom fighters they represent in the film, the friends collectively decide to avenge the killing.

Baghban

After dedicating their whole life in upbringing their children, elderly couple Raj Malhotra and Pooja gets homeless. Instead of caring, their children treat them as a burden.

Genesis

Three teenagers are shaken up by their first loves in the turmoil of their youth. At a time when others are conforming, they stand their ground and assert their right to love and be free.

Seven Minutes in Heaven

Natalie allows her classmate Jeff, who has run away from home, to stay at her place while her father is away on a business trip. Natalie soon starts dating Jeff's friend James Casey, who isn't as faithful as she thinks, while her best friend Polly falls in love with baseball player Zoo Knudsen.

Bon Voyage

On the eve of World War II four Parisians cope with the impending invasion of their city by German forces. While the French government braces for impact, the intersected lives of a young writer, a vain movie star, a French politician and a young scientist are examined as they attempt to deal with war and evade German spies.

The Creative Brain

Neuroscientist David Eagleman taps into the creative process of various inventors, while exploring brain-bending, risk-taking ways to spark creativity

Ghayal

Ajay Mehra leaves for Bombay in order to train to become an international boxer. On his return to New Delhi he however found that his brother Ashok Mehra is missing, he decides to make complaints at the police station but this only leads to frustration. He decides to go and search for his brother himself but still does not find him. Later on Ashok's body is found and Ajay is accused of killing him as well as having an illicit relationship with his sister - in - law Indu Mehra. While in jail Ajay makes friends with some other hardcore convicts, who are good at heart. Then one day they escape the jail by overpowering the guards. But Ajay falls in love with Varsha a journalist who helped in showing Ajay the path to justice in killing the main villain Balwant Rai.

Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom

In an accident two days before his wedding, a young man forgets the last year of his life. His friends are determined to ensure that he gets married despite his condition.

Seeing Other People

Ed and Alice are two months shy of getting married when she realizes that she wishes she'd had a more active love life while still single. Reluctantly, Ed agrees to have an open relationship in the months before their wedding, and initially this seems to improve their connection, particularly in the bedroom. However, as Ed and Alice get more involved in their own flings, the experiment goes awry.

Bollywood/Hollywood

Rahul Seth is a dashing young millionaire who believes he is "western" enough to rebel against his mother and grandmother. They are not too keen about his Caucasian girlfriend Kimberly who, to make matters worse, is a pop star. Before you can say "karmic intervention," Kimberly dies in a freak accident and Rahul is devastated. Instead of allowing him to mourn in peace, Rahul's mother sees the opportunity she's been waiting for. She threatens to call off his sister's wedding unless he finds himself a "nice Indian girl." Rahul enlists the services of Sue, a fiercely independent escort whom he believes to be Hispanic, and therefore not "married" to the conventions taught to young Indian women. With a wink in her eye, Sue accepts the deal to pose as his Indian bride-to-be. She needs the money and having never been a fan of the typical Indian male, she feels her heart is safe. The charade begins....

Delhi-6

Roshan, an NRI, arrives in Old Delhi with his ailing grandmother and starts to rediscover himself before getting caught in a religious dispute that shakes the once peaceful neighborhood.

Agneepath

A young boy's father is lynched before his eyes; fifteen years later he returns home for revenge.

Angelus

A commune built around the pursuit of spiritual perfection through the occult begins to see its prophecies come true.

Babamın Ceketi

Facing pressure to marry immediately, an unemployed man must find a way to pay for a wedding by any means necessary.

Mirchi

A man returns to his country in order, ostensibly, to reform his girlfriend's violent family, but he seems to have a strange connection and a rather dark past.

Sant Tukaram

This classic film chronicles the life of Tukaram (17th C.), one of Maharashtra’s most popular saint poets, activating the 20th century resonances of his turning away from courtly Sanskrit towards vernacular rhythms of religious poetry.

Sarfarosh

When terrorists kill a cop's brother and disable his father, he fights back against the smuggling of guns and drugs which plagues his country.

Vedalam

Ganesh, a cab driver and a doting brother to his sister Tamizh, is hunting down three notorious criminals in Kolkata. Who is he actually and what's his motive?

Ghajini

A man suffering from anterograde amnesia as a result of a violent attack in the past sets out to avenge his girlfriend's death with the aid of photographs, notes and tattoos all over his body.

Mumbai Police

ACP Antony Moses is on the verge of uncovering his friend’s murderer when an accident leaves him with partial memory loss. Reassigned to the same case, he must retrace his own forgotten steps to uncover a truth more shocking than he imagined.

Free to Play

Follow three professional video game players as they overcome personal adversity, family pressures, and the realities of life to compete in a $1,000,000 tournament that could change their lives forever.

Manichitrathazhu

A young couple, Ganga and Nakulan, arrives at the ancestral home called Madampalli of the latter. Hailing from a family that follows tradition and superstitions, Nakulan's uncle Thampi objects to the couple's idea of moving into the allegedly haunted mansion, which Nakulan ignores. The couple moves in anyway following which seemingly supernatural events begin to happen.

Tubelight

Laxman Singh Bisht is nicknamed tube light by his neighbours because he is feeble-minded. Despite being special, Laxman lives by one life-lesson; keep your faith alive and you can do almost anything, even stop a war.

Newton

A government clerk on election duty in a conflict-ridden jungle of Central India tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of guerrilla attacks by communist rebels.

Through the Olive Trees

When the actor in a scene for his film Life And Nothing More… has to quit, a film director casts another man for the part. However, complications arise since the man and the woman who was cast for the scene know each other.

Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

Sonia and Rohit love each other but Rohit is mysteriously killed. When Sonia moves to New Zealand, she meets Raj, Rohit's lookalike who helps her trace Rohit's killer.

Andaz Apna Apna

Two slackers competing for the affections of an heiress inadvertently become her protectors from an evil criminal.

Special 26

In the early 1980s India, a group of con artists rob businessmen and politicians by conducting fake raids, posing as officers of the CBI or Income Tax Department . They plan to execute their biggest con as a final job while a relentless cop is on their trail.

Talvar

A hardened cop deals with three conflicting perspectives involving a brutal double murder. The case is complicated as the prime suspects are the parents who supposedly killed their teenage daughter.

Itinerary of a Spoiled Child

A foundling, raised in the circus, Sam Lion becomes a businessman after a trapeze accident. However, when he reaches fifty and becomes tired of his responsibilities and of his son Jean-Philippe, he decides to disappear at sea. However, he runs into Albert Duvivier, one of his former employees. He comes to realise that he has ignored the important things in his life.

The Twins Effect

An evil Duke attempts to kill and collect the blood of a royal family of European vampires in order to become all powerful. The only surviving member of the family travels to Hong Kong, only to complicate his struggle by falling in love with a mortal girl who just happens to have a vampire hunter for a brother.

Jodhaa Akbar

A sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a Mughal emperor and a Rajput princess.

Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.

A gangster sets out to fulfill his father's dream of becoming a doctor.

Around the World in 80 Days

Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world. Which has to be completed within 80 days, a very short period for those days.

Vagabond

Mona Bergeron is dead, her frozen body found in a ditch in the French countryside. From this, the film flashes back to the weeks leading up to her death. Through these flashbacks, Mona gradually declines as she travels from place to place, taking odd jobs and staying with whomever will offer her a place to sleep. Mona is fiercely independent, craving freedom over comfort, but it is this desire to be free that will eventually lead to her demise.

Cats & Dogs

When a professor develops a vaccine that eliminates human allergies to dogs, he unwittingly upsets the fragile balance of power between cats and dogs and touches off an epic battle for pet supremacy. The fur flies as the feline faction, led by Mr. Tinkles, squares off against wide-eyed puppy Lou and his canine cohorts.

Why We Fight

Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.

Miracle

When college coach Herb Brooks is hired to helm the 1980 U.S. men's Olympic hockey team, he brings a unique and brash style to the ice. After assembling a team of hot-headed college all-stars, who are humiliated in an early match, Brooks unites his squad against a common foe: the heavily-favored Soviet team.

Great Expectations

In this Dickens adaptation, orphan Pip discovers through lawyer Mr. Jaggers that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he becomes a gentleman. Reunited with his childhood patron, Miss Havisham, and his first love, the beautiful but emotionally cold Estella, he discovers that the elderly spinster has gone mad from having been left at the altar as a young woman, and has made her charge into a warped, unfeeling heartbreaker.

The Express

Follow the inspirational life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.

The Warlords

The civil war in China has ruined many lives including General Pang's. A wounded General Pang is saved by a beautiful young woman along with two other men. Together they vow to eradicate the rebels.

Sarkar Raj

When Anita Raja, CEO of Sheppard power plant, brings a power plant proposal to set up in rural Mahrashtra before the Nagres, insightful Shankar is quick to realise the benefits the power plant can bring to the people.

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

Dev and Maya are both married to different people. Settled into a life of domestic ritual, and convinced that they are happy in their respective relationships, they still yearn for something deeper and more meaningful, which is precisely what they find in each other.

National Theatre Live: The Motive and the Cue

In 1964, Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new Broadway production of Hamlet under Sir John Gielgud’s exacting direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.

Sagan

France, 1950s. From the Quartier Latin to Saint-Tropez via New York, a young Parisienne becomes the icon of a whole generation. In 1954, 19-year-old Francoise Sagan shot to fame with her first novel, Bonjour Tristesse. Flamboyant, scandalous and underrated, Sagan lived her life at the furthest edge of excess. She won and lost fortunes at the roulette table, bought and crashed superb sports cars, drank, danced and partied, leaving a trail of lovers in her wake.

All You've Got

Three friends' love for volleyball is tested to the limit when their school burns to the ground and they are forced to join a rival school in order to win the national championship.

Lean On Me

When principal Joe Clark takes over decaying Eastside High School, he's faced with students wearing gang colors and graffiti-covered walls. Determined to do anything he must to turn the school around, he expels suspected drug dealers, padlocks doors and demands effort and results from students, staff and parents. Autocratic to a fault, this real-life educator put it all on the line.

The Work and the Glory II: American Zion

Divided by their diverse reactions to a nascent ideology, the Steeds struggle to hold together as the strength of their convictions and their filial bonds are tested. The stirring narrative of the faith that led a persecuted people to Missouri and beyond is one of the most poignant untold tales of American history. It is the account of a valiant struggle to exercise the rights promised by a fledgling nation.

The Rookie

Jim Morris never made it out of the minor leagues before a shoulder injury ended his pitching career twelve years ago. Now a married-with-children high-school chemistry teacher and baseball coach in Texas, Jim's team makes a deal with him: if they win the district championship, Jim will try out with a major-league organization. The bet proves incentive enough for the team, and they go from worst to first, making it to state for the first time in the history of the school. Jim, forced to live up to his end of the deal, is nearly laughed off the try-out field--until he gets onto the mound, where he confounds the scouts (and himself) by clocking successive 98 mph fastballs, good enough for a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Jim's still got a lot of pitches to throw before he makes it to The Show, but with his big-league dreams revived, there's no telling where he could go.

Tale of the Siberian Land

His right hand having been wounded during the war, concert pianist Andrei Balashov is unable to perform his art. As a result, the young man feels so depressed that he considers his life wasted. One day, he decides to leave the capital and flee from the woman he loves, Natasha, a rising singing star. Andrei takes refuge in Siberia, his native land. Once there, he gets a job in a sawmill, where he entertains his fellow-workers playing the accordion during leisure hours. Some time later, Natasha and her company are expected in America where they are to do a tour. But an airplane breakdown forces the pilot to land next to the village in which Andrei lives and works...

Fair Play

In the 1980s, Anna, a Czech sprinter, starts training for the Olympics. After she collapses during training, she learns she is being given steroids and decides to stop using them until her mother helps the coaches give them to her.

Saving Private Ryan

As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.

Meri Pyaari Bindu

Abhimanyu Roy is stuck with writer's block until he decides to re-live the memories of his childhood sweetheart Bindu who aspires to be a successful singer and struggles to give Abhi the one thing he craves - stability.

Ben-Hur

In 26 AD, Judah Ben-Hur, a Jew in ancient Judea, opposes the occupying Roman empire. Falsely accused by a Roman childhood friend-turned-overlord of trying to kill the Roman governor, he is put into slavery and his mother and sister are taken away as prisoners.

Pearl Harbor

The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes is immediately put on hold when they find themselves at the center of Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Manhattan

Manhattan explores how the life of a middle-aged television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.

The Piano

When an arranged marriage brings Ada and her spirited daughter to the wilderness of nineteenth-century New Zealand, she finds herself locked in a battle of wills with both her controlling husband and a rugged frontiersman to whom she develops a forbidden attraction.

GoodFellas

The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.

Swing!

Ted Gregory is trying to be the first black producer to mount a show on Broadway, but he has trouble with his star singer.

Pyar Ka Karz

The Story of Ravi Shankar (Mithun) and his troubled life where he has to deal with love, infidelity and death which leads him to a life of crime..will he succumb to evil or can he drag himself out in time?

Aakhree Raasta

David is an old prisoner, released after twenty-four years in a penitentiary for a crime he hasn't committed. The three men who framed him and sent him away, are now prominent citizens of his town. David walks out of the prison straight into a confessional booth at his church. He tells the priest that he is about to kill three prominent men, for which he seeks God's pardon in advance. He must find his old friend, bootlegger and the custodian of David's only son. David had believed in his friend to bring up his son as the worst criminal and seek revenge from the men who put him away. On meeting him, David finds that his son is a Cop instead. Devastated, David continues on his own. When he is about to kill the three men, his son has vowed to protect the citizens under any circumstances. David and his son are at war..who will prevail?

The Straight Story

A retired farmer and widower in his 70s, Alvin Straight learns one day that his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. Then he hits on the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.

Schindler's List

The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.

A Beautiful Mind

From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash Jr. experiences it all. As a brilliant but socially awkward mathematician, he made a groundbreaking discovery early in his career and stands on the brink of international acclaim. But as the handsome and arrogant Nash accepts secret work in cryptography, he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. His life takes a nightmarish turn and he soon finds himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery.

Bend It Like Beckham

Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.

Sissi

The young Bavarian princess Elisabeth, who all call Sissi, goes with her mother and older sister Néné to Austria where Néné will be wed to an emperor named Franz Joseph, Yet unexpectedly Franz runs into Sissi while out fishing and they fall in love.

Sissi: The Young Empress

Sissi is now the empress of Austria and attempts to learn etiquette. While she is busy being empress she also has to deal with her difficult new mother-in-law, while the arch-duchess Sophie is trying to tell the emperor how to rule and also Sissi how to be a mother.

Sissi: The Fateful Years of an Empress

After a wonderful time in Hungary Sissi falls extremely ill and must retreat to a Mediterranean climate to rest. The young empress’ mother takes her from Austria to recover in Madeira.

Erin Brockovich

A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.

Skylark

Jacob's farm is in trouble from a severe drought. Jacob and Sarah begin to wonder if Sarah can stay, and what will happen to Jacob if she and the children have to leave the farm.

Company

Mallik is a henchman of Aslam Bhai, a Mumbai underworld kingpin. He inducts local hothead Chandu into the gang, and the two of them soon form a formidable faction within the gang, eventually displacing Aslam. As the empire grows, however, the two of them start drifting apart.

Guru

A villager, Gurukant Desai, arrives in Bombay in 1958, and rises from its streets to become the biggest tycoon in India.

Swades

A successful Indian scientist returns home to his village to take his nanny back to America with him, and in the process rediscovers his roots.

A Goofy Movie

An endearing modern-day story about how the lovable Goof bonds with his teenage son Max on a hilarious cross-country road trip. En route to the ol' fishing hole, they find themselves up to their floppy ears in misadventure!

A Brighter Summer Day

A boy experiences first love, friendships and injustices growing up in 1960s Taiwan.

Ab To Aaja Saajan Mere

Ganga lives a poor lifestyle in a village along with her widowed dad, Ramdas. She is friendly with wealthy Jamuna, who is the only daughter of Thakur Dharam Singh. She comes to the rescue of an unconscious male, who later identifies himself as Shyam, who had run away from home as his dad, Thakur Veer Singh, was forcing him to get married. Ganga falls in love with him and informs her father accordingly. Both make a journey to Ganga's aunt to collect jewelry for her marriage. When they return Jamuna is thrilled when she finds out that Ganga is getting engaged but is devastated when she finds out that her best friend's to-be fiancé is none other than Shyam. Both inseparable companions, who always held hands in friendship, now exchange slaps and each vows to get married to Shyam. The question remains: who will Shyam get married to?

Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat

In pursuit of forbidden love, two young couples from different worlds find their lives entangled as rebellion and intolerance collide in dual stories.

Dastan

Indira (Suraiya) is an orphan brought up the strict and uprighteous Rani (Veena). Indira grows up to be a beauty and is sought by three suitors Raj (Raj Kapoor), Kundan (Al Nasir), and Ramesh (Suresh). Rani does not like Indira to marry into her family as both Raj and Kundan are her brothers, and she wants Indira to marry Ramesh, and as such arranges a meeting with Ramesh's mom (Pratima Devi) and finalizes the marriage. Indira does not appreciate this and refuses to marry Ramesh. Raj speaks of his love with Rani, and Rani warns him that Indira is to marry Ramesh, but also has an on-going affair with his brother Kundan. Who does Indira really love? Will she ever marry her dream man?

Dreams I Never Had

A teenage girl is held captive in the home of a wealthy family. She is befriended by the family's young gardener, himself an illegal from Mexico. Their friendship carries both of them through their hopeless, sequestered lives and ultimately inspires them to break free.

One Less God

In 2008, a band of young Islamic militants from Pakistan lands in Mumbai, their primary target, the iconic Taj Mahal hotel. With Indian forces unable to regain control, for 4 days the guests must battle to survive as the terrorists seek to drive them from hiding. The harrowing events that follow will come to be known as India's 9/11 and one of the most audacious terrorist attacks in history. Yet more than a tale of monsters and men, this is a story of our shared humanity at the dark crossroads to which we have now stumbled. Inspired by true events.

Bachna Ae Haseeno

Raj is a heartbreaker. His love stories with Mahi, Radhika and Gayatri finally teach him about love and life in their own sweet, sexy and sassy way.

Devdas

In 1900s India, Calcuttan zamindar Devdas Mukherjee — unable to marry his lover — takes up alcohol and the company of a courtesan to alleviate the pain.

A Passage to India

Cultural mistrust and false accusations doom a friendship in British colonial India between an Indian doctor, an Englishwoman engaged to marry a city magistrate, and an English educator.

Chhota Bheem: Journey to Petra

Chhota Bheem embarks on an adventurous journey to Petra where he takes part in an annual sports competition and beats a dacoit named Dark Hands. He subsequently rescues two beautiful princesses.

A Little Chaos

A landscape gardener is hired by famous architect Le Nôtre to construct the grand gardens at the palace of Versailles. As the two work on the palace, they find themselves drawn to each other and are thrown into rivalries within the court of King Louis XIV.

Dil To Pagal Hai

Rahul, the director of a successful dance troupe, considers Nisha his best friend, though secretly, she is madly in love with him. He then falls for Pooja, who is engaged to Ajay.

Ex Drummer

Three handicapped losers who form a band ask famous writer Dries to be their drummer. He joins the band and starts manipulating them.

American Flyers

When Dr. Marcus Sommers realizes that he and his troubled, estranged brother David may be prone a fatal brain disease that runs in their family, he decides to make peace with his sibling, and invites him on a trip to the Rockies. There, the brothers bond over their shared enthusiasm for cycling and decide to enter a grueling bike race through the mountains. However, Marcus' health soon begins to fail, and David must compete without his brother at his side.

Slap Shot 3: The Junior League

Get ready for a rough-and-tumble comedy that knows how to kick some serious puck!

Dostana

Two straight guys pretend to be a gay couple to secure a posh Miami apartment, but fall for their gorgeous roommate. Hilarity ensues as they strive to convince everyone of the ruse while secretly trying to win her heart.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

A lonely 40-ish man, likely to remain a bachelor, has a chance to find the love of his life when he falls for a vivacious young woman.

Auto Focus

A successful TV star during the 1960s, former "Hogan's Heroes" actor Bob Crane projects a wholesome family-man image, but this front masks his persona as a sex addict who records and photographs his many encounters with women, often with the help of his seedy friend, John Henry Carpenter. This biographical drama reveals how Crane's double life takes its toll on him and his family, and ultimately contributes to his death.

You Got Served

At Mr. Rad's Warehouse, the best hip-hop crews in Los Angeles compete for money and respect. But when a suburban crew crashes the party, stealing their dancers — and their moves — two warring friends have to pull together to represent the street.

Miracle

A young novice sneaks out of her convent to deal with a matter that cannot be delayed.

The Boxer

Nineteen-year-old Danny Flynn is imprisoned for his involvement with the I.R.A. in Belfast. He leaves behind his family and his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Maggie Hamill. Fourteen years later, Danny is released from prison and returns to his old working class neighborhood to resume his life as a boxer.

Fat City

Two men, working as professional boxers, come to blows when their careers each begin to take opposite momentum.

Sugar

Like many young men in the Dominican Republic, 19-year-old Miguel "Sugar" Santos dreams of winning a slot on an American baseball team. Indeed, his talents as a pitcher eventually land him a slot on a single-A team in Iowa, but culture shock, racism and other curveballs threaten to turn Sugar's dream sour.

Kung Fu Dunk

Shi-Jie is a brilliant martial artist from the Kung Fu School. One day, he encounters a group of youths playing basketball and shows off how easy it is for him, with his martial arts training, to do a Slam Dunk. Watching him was Chen-Li, a shrewd businessman, who recruits him to play varsity basketball at the local university.