Let them play on screen

Bollywood has taken a fancy for sports biopics. And not only have they been widely admired by the audiences, but also highlighted the life of sportspersons from different fields. Here’s a look at some of the upcoming ones.

Top shot
Saina

Saina captures the life of ace Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal and is being directed by Amol Gupte. Parineeti Chopra will be playing the title role. The film also stars Manav Kaul and Paresh Rawal.

Great kick
Maidaan

Ajay Devgn is all set to bring back the golden era of Indian football with his upcoming sports biopic Maidaan. The film, directed by Amit Ravindrenath Sharma, will see Ajay stepping into the shoes of legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, under whose guidance the Indian football team reached the semi-finals of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Straight drive
Shabaash Mithu

Taapsee Pannu will be seen in the biopic based on cricketer Mithali Raj titled Shabaash Mithu. The movie will be directed by Rahul Dholakia. Mithali is the former captain of the national team.

Clear aim
Abhinav Bindra biopic

Abhinav Bindra got India a gold medal in 2008 Olympics in the 10-metre air rifle event and with it ended a wait of 28 long years after the men’s field hockey team won the gold in 1980. Bindra also bagged the gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Directed by Kanan Iyer, the yet untitled Abhinav Bindra biopic will witness Harshvardhan Kapoor in the lead role.

Top speed
Rashmi Rocket

Taapsee Pannu will be seen in the role of an athlete in this film. Directed by Akarsh Khurana, the film is set to go on the floors in November. Its poster was released recently.

Bat on
Jersey

Shahid Kapoor is all set to play a cricketer in the Hindi version of Jersey, which was originally a Telugu film that released in April 2019. This remake will be directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, who has also directed the original film. A major portion of the movie has been shot in Chandigarh.

Pack a punch
Toofan

After Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in 2013, Farhan Akhtar and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra are now coming back together for Toofan, which is the story of a boxer. Although not much is known about the film at this stage, Mehra has been quoted as saying that the movie is a “beautiful, heartfelt story... a love story that happens to be about a boxer”. The film will also star Paresh Rawal and Mrunal Thakur in prominent roles.

High pitch
83

Directed by Kabir Khan, the film 83 is based on the life of India’s former cricket captain Kapil Dev who against all odds managed to win the cricket world cup in 1983. The movie boasts of an ensemble cast, including Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Saqib Saleem, Harrdy Sandhu, Ammy Virk, Pankaj Tripathi, Boman Irani, Jiiva and Sahil Khattar.

—TNS