It was a film not many in Bollywood would have put their bets on at the time of its release in August last year, given the fact that it was a non-starcast fare being directed by a filmmaker who did not have a much of a repertoire to boast of in the realm of mainstream cinema.

However, just like its deaf and dumb protagonist who achieves his "seemingly impossible" dream of making it in the "mean in Blue", 'Nagesh Kukunoor's 'Iqbal' has turned out to be the proverbial "Dark Horse" in Bollywood, dispelling all prophesies of nay-sayers in the film world about its "lack of staying power" and wowing critics at home and abroad with its brilliantly reflecting the Human spirit of emerging triumphant ''in the face of all odds''.