A new partnership that will explore the untold stories of Indian sportspeople on screen
Matchbox Movieworks, a production house, helmed by Sarita Patil, Kewal Garg and Sanjay Routray, who produced the clutter-breaking film Andhadhun (2019), will now also focus on getting unexplored stories from Indian sports fraternity to the big screen. This banner has partnered with one of India’s most celebrated sports journalist, Boria Majumdar, to work on multiple projects for OTT platforms and other mediums, based on his books — Dreams of a Billion — India and the Olympic Games (with Nalin Mehta) and 1971: The Year That Changed Indian Cricket (with Gautam Bhattacharyya).
In the growing OTT space, there is visible void of content drawn from Indian sports fraternity. This collaboration will be a big step in recreating stories of celebrated Indian sportspeople. The projects will also have their trials, tribulations and journeys often marked with behind the scene controversies, which are synonymous with India’s sporting evolution.
Dreams of a Billion — India and the Olympic Games provides an inside view of what goes on backstage in Indian Olympics universe, alongside a history of India’s performance at the event.
Recently, Sachin Tendulkar, Abhinav Bindra and Mahesh Bhupati had spoken of this book’s importance at its launch. 1971 is the year of
Indian cricket’s original renaissance and witnessed the emergence of cricketers including the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, among others. Next year, 2021, will also be the 50th year since India beat West Indies and England away from home, which are both considered as landmark achievements in Indian cricket history.
Talking about the collaboration, Majumdar says, “I am thrilled that my books and research will be converted on celluloid by Sanjay and Sarita with a vision and commitment to excellence in storytelling. I trust their abilities and believe this is the perfect opportunity to bring Indian sport stories on screen.”
On their collaboratoin, Patil, says, “Matchbox Movieworks is committed to creating original content that captures Indian stories over time. Boria’s knowledge and understanding of Indian sport is unparalleled and rarely found. His books, combined with our storytelling skills, can create these stories in an engaging and entertaining manner.”