Another biopic on cards, Farhan Akhtar to produce it. Details inside

The season of biopics is still going strong in Bollywood. Now, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani are all set to produce a biopic on Paralympian Deepa Malik who is India’s first and only woman to bag a medal at the Paralympic Games. Ritesh was astounded by her when his team shared her inspiring story with him and he immediately connected with her via a meeting. A 30-minute interaction soon turned into a five-hour-long meeting.

Ritesh is all set to produce the movie along with Farhan Akhtar under their banner Excel Entertainment. He said, “I had watched videos of her and knew that her life story was unreal, but when I met her and she let me hold her medal, the sheer weight of the silver gave me gooseflesh. At one point in her life, she had to choose between death and life in a wheelchair and she chose the latter. But as she sat in front of me, there was nothing differently-abled about her. She was empowering, a pillar of strength, and I knew that we needed to take her fight to the big screen.” (Also Read: The first look of Farhan Akhtar from ‘Lucknow Central’ is captivating)

The casting hasn’t started yet, but the producer adds that it’s going to be a one-of-a-kind role for any actress. He also added, “It will also feature her children and husband and most definitely her hometown Haryana, her present home in Delhi and her win in Rio De Janeiro, among other places.”

46-year-old Deepa Malik, a mother of two girls, suffered from acute back pain during her second pregnancy some 20 years back. Doctors stated that it was due to weight gain, but she had a normal delivery and still the pain increased so much that she could not even bend to lift her baby. Soon, a tumour was detected in her spinal cord which needed to be operated upon, immediately. She had to choose between spinal paralysis and death, and she chose the former. After 31 surgeries and 183 stitches, she still became a state-level cricketer for Rajasthan.

Ritesh further said, “In 2006, she took to javelin throw and then had to change her sport one year before the Paralympics. For an event for which people train their entire lives, she had only 12 months to learn shot put. She returned home with a silver medal in Rio.”

It is going to be interesting to see her life on the big screen. Let’s see which actress gets finalised for the role.

Prajakta Ajgaonkar

Passionate about writing, and a Bollywood lover, she is all that is sweet and endearing! She desires to put her best foot forward in everything that she does and loves to help anyone who’s in need.