Lack of major titles for PV Sindhu doesn’t deter Sonu Sood from making biopic

Once they were few and far between. Today, Indian cinema is churning out biopics as a matter of routine. And they need not be just about heroes (and villains) past. Filmmakers are just as keen to sing the praises of present-day heroes.

A few days after it was revealed that Shraddha Kapoor would star in a biopic on Saina Nehwal, actor-producer Sonu Sood announced that he would be making a biopic on Nehwal’s younger rival PV Sindhu.

Both women are still very much active on the world badminton circuit. While Nehwal has been around for close to a decade, winning 23 career titles and an Olympic bronze medal while rising to world No 1 at one stage, Sindhu, 21, is still developing her career, though she won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Sindhu is currently ranked third in the world.

While Sindhu has made a promising start to her career, she still has a long way to go. So, isn’t it a little too early to be planning a biographical film on her?

"I have been asked this many times," responded Sood while launching a health magazine featuring him on the cover. "For me it is her journey that is inspiring. That journey may take 21 or 60 years of one’s life. Badminton is just a canvas for the film. The film is more about the journey of a small-town girl, how she achieved her dream. A film can be made just on that."

Most sports biopics tend to end on a victorious note with the person in question accomplishing some feat. While Sindhu has an Olympic silver medal to her credit, shouldn’t one wait for her to win the gold, or a world championship, or the prestigious All England championship?

British journalist and TV personality Piers Morgan had mocked India for going overboard in celebrating Sindhu’s silver medal. In that vein, wouldn't a biopic without Sindhu having won a major title feel incomplete while adding to the burden of expectation on her?

“No, I don't think there will be pressure on her, as she will not be acting in it," said Sood. "We have sat with her and the family, listened to her story. I agree that sports biopics often have a certain climax, but sometimes you just have to focus on the journey than the climax or anti-climax. It is her journey alone that has inspired me to make the film. We take note of the points that have been made and we will consider them while scripting. Perhaps 21 is not an age to have a biopic made, but therein lies the challenge for us to prove people wrong."

A few days ago, Sood was trolled on Twitter after some confused him with the singer Sonu Nigam who had stirred a controversy by expressing his irritation at the use of loudspeakers at mosques for azaan.

Commenting on it, Sood said, "i was in Moga [in Punjab] when I started receiving these angry tweets. A few friends called to ask why I made such a statement. I told them I didn’t. Look, I respect all views. Social media is there for people to express themselves. I had nothing to do with this [controversy] though."