Abhishek Chaubey to direct Major Dhyan Chand biopic

PTI, Dec 16, 2020, 2:00 PM IST

Mumbai: Director Abhishek Chaubey will be tackling the biopic on legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand for Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies, the makers announced on Tuesday.

Titled ”Dhyanchand,” the film, which will be produced by RSVP in collaboration with Blue Monkey Films, will go on floors next year.

Dhyan Chand is regarded as the greatest player in the history of hockey, who earned three Olympic gold medals in 1928 (Amsterdam), 1932 (Los Angeles) and 1936 (Berlin) for India.

The film marks a reunion between Screwvala and Chaubey after their 2019 outing ”Sonchiriya.”

Written by Supratik Sen and Chaubey, the casting of the film is currently underway, with a top star expected to come on board to play the titular role of the hockey wizard.

”Dhyan Chand is one of the greatest hockey players in the history of our national sport, and it’s a matter of pride to direct his biopic. We had a massive amount of research material in hand, and honestly, every achievement of his life deserves a separate story in itself. I am grateful to have a brilliant creative force like Ronnie Screwvala backing the film, and we can’t wait to get started next year. Hoping to announce the lead actor soon,” Chaubey said in a statement.

Screwvala, who has previously produced films like ”Rang De Basanti,” ”Swades” and ”Uri: The Surgical Strike,” said Chaubey is the best choice to chronicle the greatness of Dhyan Chand’s achievements.

”It’s an absolute pleasure to collaborate with him again after ‘Sonchiriya’. Dhyan Chand is the biggest icon of Indian sports who unfortunately the youth of today don’t know much about. There couldn’t have been a greater underdog story than Dhyan Chand’s and I can’t wait to bring this film to the audiences,” he added.

Olympic medallist Ashok Kumar, son of the hockey legend, said he is excited to bring his father’s story to the big screen.

”There is no better hockey player to date in the world like three-time Olympic gold medallist Dhyan Chand. When Rohit Vaid (creative producer of Blue Monkey Films) approached me with the desire to make a film on my father, I was instantly drawn to his intensity and passion for the project. The genius of Dhyan Chand and his achievements will be seen by the world and my family and I are thrilled to be part of this,” the winning goal scorer in the 1975 World Cup Hockey said.

Producer Premnath Rajagopalan of Blue Monkey Films said every citizen of the country must know about the legend of Dhyan Chand.

”Rohit and I are grateful to Ashok Kumar and family for putting their faith in us… It is a legacy and a story that everyone should know, not only in our country but also the world. We are also looking forward to taking our partnership with Ronnie forward as this would be our second project,” he added.

”Dhyanchand” will be released countrywide in 2022.