The story of Indian tennis's most iconic pair told by a power couple from the field of cinema sounds like a promising experiment. Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari, Break Point will tell the story of the rise, joy and split of the iconic Leander Paes-Mahesh Bhupathi duo which set new marks in world doubles tennis. The documentary will be streamed on the Zee5 OTT platform from 1 October.
The trailer for the docu-series captures the highs and lows of a partnership that was considered one of the best in tennis, not just in India but globally. In 1999, the duo went on to become the first Indian pair to compete in the finals of all four Grand Slams, winning the French Open and Wimbledon. The trailer underlines this 'complimentary' partnership through the voices of peers like the doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan. Sania Mirza calls them 'absolute heroes'.
Yet, it was not a happy journey throughout. As the trailer puts it, the pair went through one of the most acrimonious 'divorces' in Indian tennis, with Paes describing it as 'diabolical' and unwilling to go through it all again, though Bhupathi would. The pair may have buried the hatchet, but the trailer does rake up some old wounds. This contrast and seeming intrigue over what happened adds to the drama and tension of the trailer.
Watch the promo below and let us know how keen you are to watch this documentary web-series.
Correction, 18 September 2021: An earlier version of this report misidentified the doubles pair talking about Paes and Bhupathi's passion and love as the Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde. It was actually the Bryan brothers from the USA.