The Phantom director has been roped in to helm Phantom Productions' official film on India's 1983 Cricket World Cup triumph.
Shriram Iyengar
India's triumph at the 1983 cricket World Cup was a seminal moment in India's sports and pop culture. It would lay the foundation of India's rise as one of the greatest cricketing nations in recent years. The team that won the World Cup, led by Kapil Dev, surpassed expectations by beating the invincible West Indies. If ever there was a story waiting for Hindi cinema to pick up, it is this. Now, Kabir Khan has stepped up for the challenge.
The Bajrangi Bhaijaan director has been roped in by Phantom Productions to direct the biopic based on Kapil Dev and his team. The director is expected to start the film immediately after he completes shooting for Tubelight with Salman Khan. Reports suggest that the film will have several former cricketers from the World Cup winning team like Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Sunil Gavaskar, Syed Kirmani, Kirti Azad, making an appearance. The film is expected to portray the emotional journey of a team of underdogs going on to achieve the impossible by beating one of the most indomitable teams of the era. Reports suggest that the filmmaker is interested in shooting at the original locations of the match, to capture the essence of each match which changed the course of Indian cricket.
Phantom Films had acquired the rights to the film in July this year, along with Vishnu Induri, owner of the Celebrity Cricket League. In a statement released then, the production house said, "We are super excited about making of the 1983 movie and it's a huge responsibility on our shoulders to get it right as we don't get to tell stories like this often."
The details of the casting is yet to be finalised, but the film is expected to go on floors this year.
