Earlier this year, Dangal became the highest earning film in the history of Bollywood, highlighting the current upsurge of sports biopics within the industry. After the Phogat sisters, Milkha Singh and Paan Singh Tomar, it was only a matter of time before a film on 2012 London Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal would be announced.
Earlier today, sources close to the Saina camp confirmed that the production of her biopic has already begun and that popular actress Shraddha Kapoor will be playing her role in the film. Taare Zameen Pe and Stanley ka Dabba Director Amole Gupte will be pioneering the project, which will release in late December of 2018.
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Sportskeeda spoke with Shraddha Kapoor, who confirmed the development. She said, “Badminton is something that I have thoroughly cherished throughout my school life, and I’m very lucky that I get to play the role of someone who has brought so much glory to the country. Shooting will begin in June, till then I will be preparing for the role and of course meet Saina to get to know her better.”
Prior to her Asian Championship match against Japan’s Sayaka Sato, Saina reacted to her biopic’s confirmation. She said, “I was aware that the film is being made, but I didn’t know that Shraddha will be playing my role. Actually, you will be surprised to know, that a lot of people told me that we look similar, so it's not that big a surprise.
“Both of us are really good friends, and I will enjoy teaching her badminton during my off days. It’s a compliment for me to be compared to Shraddha as she is very good looking and I’m very happy that she will be playing my role in the film.”
Saina has experienced a recent dip in her performances, with a first round knockout at the Malaysian Open. However, the 29-year-old began the Asian Championship in Wuhan with a first round exit, at the hands of the Japanese.
She added, “At this level, it gets extremely competitive, you have your share of good tournaments, and you have your fair share of bad ones. The Malaysian Open was a blip, I’m slowly returning to my best since my injury, so hopefully more positive results coming soon.”
The exact release date of her biopic will be known by late September.
