Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who stepped into the entertainment industry as producer of a documentary last year, is now set to back a sci-fi web-series.
His production company, Dhoni Entertainment Pvt Ltd, started in 2019 in partnership with Deepak Dhar of Banijay Asia, is developing a slate of projects for the upcoming years.
The company debuted with the docudrama ‘Roar of the Lion’ in March 2019 – directed by Kabir Khan of Bajrangi Bhaijaan fame – a series of behind the scenes of the Chennai Super Kings’ 2018 win in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In an interview with Mid-Day, Sakshi Dhoni, who serves as the managing director of the production company, revealed the details of the second project that they have zeroed-in on.
“We have acquired the rights of an unpublished book of a debutant author. We will adapt it into a web series. It is a mythological sci-fi story that explores the journey of a mysterious Aghori and is set at a high-tech facility on a remote island.”
She added that the story also delves into the genre of magical realism. It is reported that the studio is simultaneously working on five other projects. While currently in the process of developing the series, the creative team will finalise the cast and director of the aforementioned project soon.
After retiring from international cricket, Dhoni continues to play cricket in the IPL and Sakshi said while he will be partially involved in the decision-making, the studio is a passion project for both of them.
"When we were developing Roar of the Lion, we thought it was the perfect time to venture into the entertainment industry. We aim to give a platform to deserving talent to showcase their skills along with providing fresh and original content to the audience. Mahi will be partially involved (in the production house). The day-to-day running of the company is looked after by me. We have a process to ensure quality control from the word go. Mahi and I take the final call with our team's inputs and suggestions. Our aim is to produce good stories from our hearts,” she added, as per Mid-Day.
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