The production house Matchbox Movieworks, managed by Sarita Patil, Kewal Garg and Sanjay Routray, will come together with journalist Boria Majumdar to bring unexplored stories from Indian sports to the screen. They will work on multiple projects for OTT platforms and other media, based on the journalist's books, Dreams of a Billion: India and the Olympic Games (co-authored with Nalin Mehta), and 1971: The Year That Changed Indian Cricket (co-authored with Gautam Bhattacharyya).
According to a press release, the upcoming collaboration will aim to recreate "stories of celebrated Indian sportspeople, their trials, tribulations and journeys, often marked with behind-the-scene controversies, which are synonymous with India’s sporting evolution, documented with panache in both these works".
Dreams of a Billion: India and the Olympic Games, which was launched by cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, gold medallist and shooter Abhinav Bindra and tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi, highlighted India's performance at the games, besides giving an inside view of what happens backstage in the Indian Olympics universe.
Meanwhile, 1971: The Year That Changed Indian Cricket, is the story of Indian cricket’s original renaissance that year, along with the emergence of Sunil Gavaskar on the scene. It was also the year that saw India beat the West Indies and England away from home, the 50th anniversary of which will take place next year.
Speaking about the collaboration, Majumdar said, "I am thrilled that my books and research will be converted for celluloid by Sanjay and Sarita, producers with vision and commitment to excellence in storytelling. I trust their abilities and believe this is the perfect opportunity to bring Indian sport stories to life onscreen."
Routray said, “Matchbox Movieworks is committed to creating original content that captures Indian stories over time. Boria’s knowledge and understanding of Indian sport is unparalleled and rarely found. We are excited to create stories from his work.”
"Indian sport has a void that should be filled with awe-inspiring stories and our nation’s sporting culture. Boria’s books, combined with our storytelling skills, can create these stories in an engaging and entertaining manner," added Patil.