‘Sports biopic a responsibility rather than a competition’

Filmmaker Amit Sharma says making a sports biopic is a big responsibility rather than a competition.

The Badhaai Ho director’s next film is based on Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim that will see actor Ajay Devgn in the title role.

Rahim, a former football player, coached the national team from 1950 till his death in 1963. Under him, the Indian football team reached the semi-finals of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the first Asian country to do so. India also won the Asian Games in 151 and 1962.

About the competitive space of a sports biopic, Amit says: “I think everything nowadays is competitive. I am just going with the story, because it is a big responsibility to tell the story of a man who actually existed. So I see it as a responsibility rather than being in competition.”

Badhaai Ho was one of the favourites of the audience in 2018, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Sanya Malhotra, Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta.

“It’s not like films with good content were not there before, content-based cinema was always there and they are still here. They are now getting reorganised and fans love it as new stories are coming up. From small towns to big cities, I think content today is very important. Keep the audience in mind and tell a story accordingly. If the story we tell has depth and some newness, it will definitely work,” he adds.

It’s not like films with good content were not there before. Contentbased cinema was always there and they are still here. It is now getting reorganised and fans love it because new stories are coming up. AMIT SHARMA FILMMAKER