Screwvala is keen on showing how blind cricket gained popularity in India after the Indian team won the T20 Blind Cricket World Cup in 2012.
Sonal Pandya
Ronnie Screwvala’s new production company, RSVP Productions, has found the subject of its latest film. It will explore the world of blind cricket through a young, visually challenged, boy from the slums, who dreams of playing cricket.
The untitled film doesn’t have the director or cast finalized as yet, but Screwvala is keen on showing how blind cricket gained popularity in India. In 2012, the Indian team defeated Pakistan in the final match of T20 Blind Cricket World Cup.
There are ten international blind cricket teams. While the Indian team is handled by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), teams from countries like England, New Zealand and Nepal, are governed by the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC).
Screwvala was quoted in the tabloid, Mumbai Mirror, “Through our protagonist’s story, we delve into the world of blind cricket and explore how the CABI was set up, how it changed the way this sport was viewed in India, and how it put our country on the global map. We want the audiences to see that no disability can come in the way of one’s true passion. In a nation where cricket is the heartbeat of many, blind cricket will resonate as a unique form of the game that all Indians love so dearly.”
The shoot is due to begin in the middle of next year. Screwvala also shared that both, CABI and WBCC, will contribute their expertise in research and allow the filmmakers to not only study player's techniques, but also watch their matches.
Scoring gold: How sports films became popular in India
Like many others in the industry, Screwvala, too, is focusing on capturing the burgeoning world of Indian sports on film.
Already, filmmaker Kabir Khan and actor Ranveer Singh are working on the story of 1983 cricket world cup win that was lead by Kapil Dev. The film, ‘83, is due to be released on 5 April 2019. But before that, actor Akshay Kumar and writer-director Reema Kagti will bring forward the story of independent India’s first gold medal at the Olympics with Gold on 15 August 2018.
