Reema Kagti's next venture featuring Akshay Kumar is reportedly based on the first hockey team from independent India to win a gold medal. The story of the 1948 Indian hockey team is already facing some criticism with the family of a hockey player expressing its discontent.
Former Indian hockey player Balbir Singh's daughter, Sukhbir Kaur, claimed that the director had not approached the family for the film based on her father's life. In an interview to tabloid Mid-Day, she said, "The media has reported that Gold (directed by Reema Kagti) is based on my father's life since he was the star of the Olympics show. But, we aren't sure about the subject and how much of it will delve into my father's struggle. The 1948 Olympics revolves around many key players."
Kumar had tweeted about the film in October last year, announcing it as 'the historic story of India's first Olympic gold medal as a free nation.'
The film is reportedly based on the 1948 hockey team, which won the first Olympic gold medal for India after Independence. Sukhbir Kaur described her father's role as: "He was instrumental in getting the gold and we are his immediate family. Ideally, we should be consulted on this [film]."
However, Kagti has already suggested that her film is fictional in its content, despite its real story. In an earlier interview, she said, "Mine would be a fictional take on what actually happened. The game of hockey would feature prominently in the plot. But there will also be a strong human drama playing at the forefront. And it wouldn’t be just the Olympics victory in 1948 we will be looking at. Gold will look at 12 crucial years in India’s history."
For now, there have been no comments from the makers of the film.