With the success of The Dirty Picture (2011), Paan Singh Tomar (2010), Mary Kom (2014) in recent years, Bollywood is taking real life very seriously. More than a dozen biopics are in the making, and producers are on the lookout for more intriguing stories from all walks of life.
Let’s take a look at the biopics that are all set to entertain us.
M S Dhoni: The Untold Story
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s rise to superstardom in cricket will be captured in a film by by Neeraj Pandey and Sushant Singh Rajput will be playing the titular role. Though the film has been facing continuous delays due to financial issues and script changes, it’s been reported that Dhoni himself has come to the rescue, to make sure that his inspiring rags to riches story reaches millions.
Azhar
When it comes to biopics, controversies’ children always make for better stories. And that’s why Azhar sounds more delicious as a subject than Dhoni. Mohammad Azharuddin played wonderful cricket, led India as a team, dated, married, divorced Sangeeta Bijlani, but later found himself in the web of match fixing. Written by Rajat Arora, this fill have Emraan Hashmi playing the fallen hero in his colourful life.
Dangal
Even after turning 50, Aamir Khan’s search for experiments is not over. The actor is essaying the role of wrestler Mahavir Phogat, the father of wrestlers Geeta and Babita, and he is not only learning how to wrestle but also how to speak Haryanvi. Turning into a strict vegetarian, Khan has really bulked up for the role, and currently weighs 90 kgs, a huge change from 68 kilos during the filming of PK (2014).
Neerja
This is one biopic that promises to be thrilling and emotionally devastating. Sonam Kapoor will be playing Neerja Bhanot, the flight attendant who sacrificed her life trying to save the lives of passengers from a mid-air terrorists’ attack. The hijacked PanAm Flight 73 and the mournful day, September 5, 1986 will be recreated by debutant director Ram Madhvani. Shabana Azmi will be playing the mother of the 22 year old braveheart.
Untitled Sarabjit Biopic
After Mary Kom (2014) with Priyanka Chopra, Omung Kumar is making another biopic. And this time, he is taking Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to play Dalbir Kaur Singh, the sister of Sarabjit Singh. For the uninitiated, Sarabjit was an Indian national who was accused of spying for India, and was convicted by Pakistan’s Supreme Court in 1991. After years on death row, he was attacked by fellow inmates in jail, which caused his death. The role of Sarabjit has not officially been cast as yet.
Untitled Jaswant Singh Rawat biopic
After Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is at it again. The filmmaker is producing a biopic on rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, a young soldier who gave up his life while protecting a crucial vantage point during the 1962 Indo-China war. The story of his courage has become a legend, and continues to inspire the Indian army.
Main Aur Charles
Charles Sobhraj, the serial killer who made waves during the 1970s thanks to the brilliant tricks he employed at deception, evasion and killing, will be the core of a partly fictionlaised biopic. Shobhraj makes for one helluva subject, and Randeep Hooda as ‘the serpent’ is a very interesting choice.
Untitled Sanjay Dutt Biopic
After dealing with fiction, Rajkumar Hirani, the most successful Bollywood director of the current crop wants to deal with reality, of the harshest kind. His next is the much talked about biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt and if all goes well, Ranbir Kapoor will be playing the titular role. Sanjay Dutt who’s been a long time collaborator of Hirani has led an unbelievably eventful life, and it will be interesting to see how the director looks at his friend’s life with objective eyes.
Aligarh
Hansal Mehta’s next will have Manoj Bajpayee as a gay professor and Rajkummar Rao as a journalist. The film is reportedly based on the real life incident of Dr Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was terminated from his job by the Aligarh Muslim University because of his sexuality.
(The writer is a journalist and a screenwriter who believes in the insanity of words, in print or otherwise.)
Twitter - @RanjibMazumder
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)