Mumbai: The story of hockey legend Dhyan Chand will soon come alive on the big screen, in a biopic. The movie will be a collaboration between 'Sonchiriya' producer Ronnie Screwvala and director Abhishek Chaubey. The film "DhyanChand" will go on floors in 2021. Chaubey, who made "Udta Punjab" and the "Ishqiya" films in the past, has been writing the script for over a year along with Supratik Sen. Casting is underway.
Dhyan Chand, widely acknowledged as the Wizard of Hockey, represented Indian in the sport from the mid-1920s to 1949. During his career, he helped India win three Olympic Gold medals. He was felicitated with the Padma Bhushan in 1956.
"Dhyan Chand is one of the greatest hockey players in the history of our national Sport, and it is a matter of pride to direct his biopic. We had massive amount of research material in hand and, honestly, every achievement of his life deserves a separate story. I am grateful to have a brilliant creative force like (producer) Ronnie Screwvala backing the film, and we cannot wait to get started next year. (We are) Hoping to announce the lead actor soon," said Chaubey.
Dhyan Chand's son, Ashok Kumar, an Olympic medallist and winning goal scorer in the 1975 World Cup Hockey, is elated, too. "There is no better hockey player to date in the world like three-time Olympic gold medalist Dhyan Chand. The genius of Dhyan Chand and his achievements will be seen by the world. My family and I are thrilled to be a part of this," said Ashok Kumar.
The film is produced by Ronnie Screwvala's banner RSVP and Blue Monkey Films. "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 audience," Screwvala said. The film is expected to hit the theatres in 2022.
