"Cant wait to see you play my cover drive": Sourav Ganguly endorses biopic 'Dada' starring Rajkumar Rao in lead role
Mumbai, July 8
On his 54th birthday, former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly received a special surprise as the makers of his upcoming biopic, 'Dada - The Sourav Ganguly Story,' unveiled its first-look poster featuring actor RajKummar Rao.
Minutes after the poster was unveiled, Ganguly shared it on his social media and reacted to RajKummar Rao's look. Calling it the "best gift ever," he wrote, "The Best Gift Ever! Can't wait to see you play my cover drive! @rajkummar_rao,"
Take a look
The poster recreates one of the historic moments of Ganguly's career, showing a shirtless RajKummar Rao waving his jersey from the Lord's balcony after India's famous NatWest Trophy win over England in 2002. Sharing the poster, the makers wrote, "Happy Birthday, our dearest Dada. @souravganguly #Dada #DadaTheSouravGangulyStory."
The biographical sports drama will revolve around Dada's journey from a young cricketer to one of India's most successful captains. It will focus on his career, the challenges he faced, and the role he played in shaping a fearless Indian cricket team that inspired a new generation of players.
Sourav Ganguly, who is celebrating his 54th birthday today, is a veteran Indian cricketer with more than 18,000 international runs. Dada's famous shirtless celebration occurred after India's historic comeback victory against England in the 2002 NatWest Series Final. The gesture was a direct response to English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who had previously celebrated a series draw in Mumbai by taking off his own jersey on the field.
India chased down 326-run target in the final of the Natwest Tri-nation series in 2002 against the hosts England. The match was held at the Lord's Cricket Ground. Mohammed Kaif (87 not out off 75 balls) and Yuvraj Singh (69 off 63 balls) were heroes of the match for India.
'Dada - The Sourav Ganguly Story' is directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and stars RajKummar Rao in the lead role. The film is produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg under Luv Films and is presented by Gulshan Kumar, Bhushan Kumar, T-Series and DBL.
The film is set to hit theatres on May 14, 2027.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, I wish they'd focus more on his captaincy legacy than just the shirtless moment. Ganguly transformed Indian cricket from a defensive mindset to fearless aggression. That's the real story - building a team that believed they could win anywhere. Hope the film does justice to that transformation.
Imagine how many youngsters will get inspired by Dada's journey! From being dropped early in his career to becoming one of India's most successful captains. And Rajkummar Rao is such a versatile actor - perfect to play a Bengali icon. Bhalo lagche! 🏏
As someone who grew up watching Ganguly's captaincy, this biopic is long overdue. That 2002 NatWest final was pure magic - Kaif and Yuvraj's partnership, then Dada's celebration. Hope they also show his struggles though - the Chappell controversy, injuries, and how he fought back every time.
Dada is the reason why Indian cricket stopped being scared of pace bowling. Under him, we started winning overseas. The man who gave us Dhoni, gave us Sehwag's aggression, and backed Yuvraj when others doubted him. Legend. Rajkummar better nail that Bengali accent, yaar! 😄
I hope the movie doesn't just glorify everything - let's see the real Dada, imperfections included. The tiff with Greg Chappell, the rivalry with Sourav Ganguly the administrator vs Ganguly the cricketer. A balanced story would make this truly inspiring. Otherwise it's just another hagiography.