Abhishek Chaubey to direct hockey legend Dhyan Chand's biopic

Producer Ronnie Screwvala and filmmaker Abhishek Chaubey are reuniting again after Sonchiriya (2019) to tell the story of hockey legend Dhyan Chand. The biopic will go on the floors next year and is due to be released in 2022.

The as-yet-untitled film is being co-produced by Premnath Rajagopalan. Chaubey and Supratik Sen have been working on the screenplay for over a year. The makers have already begun casting and are on the lookout for a star for the lead role.  

Dhyan Chand, nicknamed the Wizard, played for the national team from 1925 to 1949. He scored over 500 goals in the 185 matches he played as a centre forward during his international career. He also bagged three Olympic gold medals, in 1928, 1932 and 1936. He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 1956. The legend's birth anniversary, on 29 August, is celebrated as National Sports Day.

In a statement, Chaubey said, “Dhyan Chand is one of the greatest hockey players in the history of our national sport, and it’s a matter of pride to direct his biopic. We had a massive amount of research material in hand, and honestly, every achievement of his life deserves a separate story in itself.”

“I am grateful to have a brilliant creative force like Ronnie Screwvala backing the film, and we can’t wait to get started next year. Hoping to announce the lead actor soon,” he continued.
 
Screwvala said, “Given the largeness and greatness of Dhyan Chand’s life achievements, I feel that there could be no one better than Abhishek to direct the film and it’s an absolute pleasure to collaborate with him again after Sonchiriya. Dhyanchand 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 audiences.”

Dhyan Chand’s son Ashok Kumar, also an Olympic medallist and winning goal scorer in the 1975 World Cup of hockey, is elated to see his father’s life on the big screen. “There is no better hockey player to date in the world like three-time Olympic gold medalist Dhyan Chand,” he stated. “When [co-producer] Rohit Vaid approached me with the desire to make a film on my father, I was instantly drawn to his intensity and passion for the project. The genius of Dhyan Chand and his achievements will be seen by the world, and my family and I are thrilled to be part of this.”

Blue Monkey Films’ Rajagopalan added, “Rohit and I are grateful to Ashok Kumar and the family for putting their faith in us to bring Dhyan Chand's story to the world. It is a legacy and a story that everyone should know, not only in our country, but also the world. We are also looking forward to taking our partnership with Ronnie forward as this would be our second project.”