Everyone has been talking about Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Sanju. Starring Ranbir Kapoor, the film chronicles the controversial life of Sanjay Dutt. Amidst the massive success of the biopic, a spirited debate has erupted over its adherence to the genre and how “true” or “real” it is in its depiction of Dutt’s life. Some also consider it as a propaganda film, meant to whitewash the star.
The debate boils down to what a biopic really is. Bollywood is riding the biopic wave. In July 2018, a sports biopic Soorma also released. Starring Diljit Dosanjh, Taapsee Pannu and Angad Bedi, the film is based on the life of hockey legend Sandeep Singh, who made headlines with his comeback after being paralysed and wheelchair-bound for 2 years after an accidental gunshot that injured him in 2006.
In the past decade alone, there have been over forty biopics, most of which have been made in the past three years (eight in 2015, twelve in 2016 and six in 2017), according to Livemint. Some of the most successful ones have been Neerja (2016), Dangal (2016), and Padman (2018), just to name a few.
But what explains this affinity for biopics in Bollywood? Ram Madhvani, the director of Sonam Kapoor-starrer, Neerja, has an interesting take on this question.
Biopics have always been made in India, Mughal-e-Azam was a biopic too, as was Jodhaa Akbar. But the thing is we are making more realistic biopics now because audiences are interested in real stories. The fantasy element of Hindi movies is changing.Ram Madhvani to Livemint
The director essentially feels that people no longer only want to watch Hindi movies for an escape from reality through over-the-top songs, action and romance. Instead, they are now also interested in nuanced portrayals of life and human nature.
While I am skeptical about the extent to which this change has really happened, it is definitely true that biopics have become a major trend in Bollywood. This year, almost every star is headlining a biopic. Shah Rukh Khan will soon begin shooting for Salute in September, which is a biopic on Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to go into space.
The real lives of individuals are being adapted, fictionalised and dramatised with Bollywood’s quintessential masala, and the audience is lapping it up.
After Sanju and Soorma, here are the most exciting biopics releasing in the next year:
Gold
Akshay Kumar-starrer Gold is one of the most awaited films of 2018, and it brings back Akshay in his Mr Bharat avatar. The film is loosely based on the life of Balbir Singh, who was a part of the team that won the first Olympic medal for India as an independent nation in 1948.
Powerfully combining sports and patriotic fervour, Gold has all the essential ingredients of a blockbuster.
Produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment, the film is written and directed by Reema Kagti. It marks the Bollywood debut of Naagin fame Mouni Roy, and also features Kunal Kapoor, Amit Sadh and Vineet Kumar Singh in pivotal roles.
Gold will release on 15 August, Independence Day.
From Hocky to Football: Ajay Devgan’s Syed Abdul Rahim Biopic
Another sports biopic, this film will star Ajay Devgan as legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, who served the Indian football team as its coach and manager from 1950-1963. It was under his guidance that the Indian football team won a gold at the 1962 Asian Games and reached the semi-finals of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He died of cancer at the age of 54.
Directed by ad film director Amit Sharma, the film is bankrolled by Zee Studios, Boney Kapoor, Akash Chawla and Joy Sengupta.
This is clearly an ideal time to announce the film as the football fever has taken over the entire nation in the wake of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The film is yet to be titled or given a release date. Stay tuned for more updates.
Super 30
The film stars Hrithik Roshan as Anand Kumar, a mathematician based in Patna. Kumar helmed the titular project, regarded as a highly ambitious and innovative educational program, where 30 meritorious talents from the economically backward sections of the society are honed and tutored for one of India's most prestigious institutions – the Indian Institute of Technology. Helmed by Vikas Bahl, the director of Queen, the film also features TV actor Mrunal Thakur.
So far, only the first look of the film has been released, showing Hrithik with a thick beard, disheveled hair and a simple shirt. Super 30 is scheduled to hit the theatres on 25 January, 2019.
The Accidental Prime Minister
Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte and written by Mayank Tewari, this political biopic stars Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh, the economist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. It is based on a 2014 memoir of the same name by Sanjaya Baru.
The film also features Akshaye Khanna as Sanjaya Baru, a political commentator, Suzanne Bernert as Sonia Gandhi and Aahana Kumra as Priyanka Gandhi.
Adapted by Hansal Mehta, the film is being produced by Ashoke Mehta and Sunil Bohra. It is scheduled to release on 21 December, 2018. While there’s a lot of emphasis on getting the looks right, it remains to be seen if it will actually shine a light on the life and times of our former PM, while enthralling us.
‘83
Remember when India won the Cricket World Cup in 1983? Ranveer Singh is playing Kapil Dev in a sports biopic chronicling the journey to this historic victory.
The film is being directed by Kabir Khan. As of now, no other actor has been cast. After some confusion, the official release date for the film is 10 April, 2020.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Based on Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, the film is a historical biopic chronicling the valiant life of the queen. It is being directed by Krish and written by Prasoon Joshi and veteran writer V Vijendra Prasad, who has also written Baahubali, Baahubali 2 and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Kangana has already proved her credentials as the Queen, so she seems apt for the role.
A poster of the film was released on 18 June to mark the Rani of Jhansi’s 160th death anniversary and pay tribute to her.
The film was initially scheduled to hit the theatres in August 2018, but its release date has not been announced yet.
Former Army Chief Sam Manekshaw Biopic
After Raazi, director Meghna Gulzar is planning a biopic on the former Army chief Sam Manekshaw, who led the Indian Army to victory during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh.
Manekshaw was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. His military career spanned four decades and five wars.
The life that the Field Marshal has lived is vast and rich so it’s quite daunting to be able to do justice to it in two hours on celluloid. The film requires tremendous prep. One part of the film will be set in the era of the ’71 war which is fairly familiar for me right now (Raazi was set in the 1970s as well) but otherwise it’s a whole new world.Meghna Gulzar to Hindustan Times
Meghna will work with her Raazi co-writer Bhavani Iyer, along with Shantanu Srivastava, for the biopic. The film is produced by Ronnie Screwwala, who emphasises the importance of creating role models in India.
When it came to Sam Manekshaw, it’s a story that must be told and it’s not only about him being India’s first and only field marshal or being at the forefront of the wars we fought against Pakistan, but also about it being an inspirational story.Ronnie Screwvala in a press statement
So, when can we expect to see this film? That’s not clear at this point.
In the next three months we should have our script ready. The movie needs at least six months of prep. When we go on the floors also depends on the lead actors and their dates.Ronnie Screwvala to Hindustan Times.
The Saina Nehwal Biopic
Starring Shraddha Kapoor, the film is being directed by Amol Gupte. Shraddha plays Saina Nehwal, a badminton singles player and the first Indian to win two singles gold medals in the Commonwealth Games. The actor has earlier portrayed the mafia queen of the underworld, Haseena Parkar.
Nehwal has gone on record to express her happiness at the biopic being made, not because it tells her story but because it “will make sports more popular and inspire more kids to play badminton”.
While there have been recent reports that the film might be shelved or at least severely delayed, the director has dismissed the rumours, stating that the shooting will start in September 2018.
The rest of the cast and a release date are not known yet.
The Abhinav Bindra Biopic
Written and directed by Kannan Iyer, the film stars Anil Kapoor and Harshvardhan Kapoor. It is about the life of Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, and is being adapted from his autobiography, A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold.
Anil Kapoor is all set to play Harshvardhan’s on-screen father.
Harshvardhan, who plays the sportsman, has reportedly been spending time at the shooting range, meeting Bindra’s coach and trying to learn shooting in order to better his game as well as understand his challenges and internal conflicts.
The film is slated to release sometime in 2019. No specific date has been issued.
So, these are the most awaited biopics coming up in Bollywood in the near future. While we are all very excited about them, we should remember that they are dramatised versions of the subjects’ lives, and not historical accounts that are liable to fact-checking and scrutiny. Shouldn’t we be open to the interpretation of the filmmakers involved? I believe in watching them as versions of people’s lives, told from the perspective of the filmmakers, and appreciating them for their craft.
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