Saina Nehwal biopic announced, shooting set to begin early next year

The fillm will be directed by Amole Gupte

The Indian film industry has found a recipe for success with sport-based biopics. From Marykom to Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, the life stories of India’s most successful athletes have lit up the silver screen. The latest to join the list is badminton star Saina Nehwal.

There were several rumours that various media-houses were fighting over the rights to showcase a film on Nehwal. However, the race is finally over as the biopic will be produced and directed by Amole Gupte. He has also recently directed critically acclaimed films Stanley ka dabba and Hawa Hawaii.

Gupte met with Saina and her family in their Hyderabad home on Tuesday, to discuss the intricacies of the film. The shooting is set to begin early next year, but it is unclear on who will be playing Saina’s role.

She said on Twitter, “Looking forward to the making of the biopic on my life with Amole Gupte and Sujay Jairaj.”

Saina has had a topsy-turvy year so far. She broke new grounds reaching the summit of the world rankings. However, her season were marred with injuries as Saina won only two titles this year. She won gold in both the Syed Modi Grand Prix and Indian Open Super Series. The 25-year old also reached the finals of All England Badminton Championship and China Open Super series.

However, an ankle injury in November seriously thwarted her chances of a good end to the season. She ended up missing the Hong Kong Open and there was a massive question mark over her BWF Super Series attendance. But, a standout performance in the group stages saw her defeat current world number 1, Carolina Marin.

Saina is currently ranked second in the world.

Her compatriot P V Sindhu also had a decent season, winning five bronze medals in the calendar year.

"Looking forward to the making of the biopic on my life" - with Amole Gupte & Sujay Jairaj. pic.twitter.com/aVyhWlHNcy

— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) December 16, 2015