Farhan Akhtar hooked to sports biopics

Farhan Akhtar, who played the role of track and field legend Milkha Singh in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), stamped his authority on the sports biopic sub-genre in Bollywood. The movie was also the second of the many sports biopics — Paan Singh Tomar (2012; starring Irrfan as the steeplechase champion) was the first — to release in this decade. The later ones were on boxer MC Mary Kom, and cricketers MS Dhoni, and Sachin Tendulkar. Biopics on shuttlers Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu are in the pipeline. Meanwhile, Farhan is hooked and looking for more biopic scripts even as he’s in the process of producing two such films. A source says, “After Milkha, Farhan realised the impact that these movies have and [he] wants to bring as many stories as possible to the screen. He feels that it’s very important for their stories, struggles, and victories to come to the fore.” Talking about it, Farhan says, “I personally feel that with biopics of sports heroes, there’s so much for people, especially children, to learn from these life stories. The subjects serve as motivators and an inspiration for the younger generation.” Farhan, along with his business partner and friend Ritesh Sidhwani, is producing two films based on sports heroes — Akshay Kumar’s Gold, about hockey player Balbir Singh Dosanjh and the Indian hockey team; and a biopic on Paralympic athlete Deepa Malik, who won silver in shot put at the 2016 Games.