I have always maintained this stand and I still assert that films based on true stories and historic events in Bollywood have become a formula for success. To get to see an infamous event unraveling on screen is at times super inspirational and sometimes eye-opening. I have witnessed some path-breaking biopics like Sushant Singh Rajput’s MS Dhoni: The Untold Story and Priyanka Chopra‘s Mary Kom, and event films like Ranveer Singh‘s ’83 have that effect on me. And now another name is ready to be added to the list, and this time it is about one of India’s biggest annual celebration that has become a global phenomenon.
This morning, as the Indian Premier League (IPL) completes its 15 years today, producer Vishnuvardhan Induri, who has backed projects like Thalaivii and ’83, announced that he is making a film on it and its founder Lalit Modi. The film will be an adaptation of the book Maverick Commissioner, written by sports journalist Boria Majumdar.
Check out the announcement here:
Winning the 83 World Cup was the tip of the iceberg. The book "Maverick Commissioner" by sports journalist @BoriaMajumdar is a fascinating account of the IPL and the Man behind it Lalit Modi. Elated to announce that we are adapting this book into a feature film. @SimonSchusterIN pic.twitter.com/tLEGGCkkxn
— Vishnu Vardhan Induri (@vishinduri) April 18, 2022
Modi was the Vice President of the Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) during 2005-10, and it was during this tenure that he initiated his idea of the IPL. In 2008, he launched the league based on Twenty20 cricket format, and today IPL is one of the biggest cricket leagues in the world.
In 2010, BCCI suspended Modi on 22 charges, including bypassing the governing council while taking decisions, not following proper processes, bid rigging, awarding contracts to his friends, accepting kickbacks on a broadcast deal, selling franchises to family members, betting and money laundering. It will be an interesting watch to see the life of Modi and the beginning of the biggest cricket league in the world, come alive on screen.
With the 15th edition of IPL currently in play in full swing, I don’t think there could have been a better time for the announcement to happen. IPL has become a part of the life of every Indian and so many cricket fans globally. It is like a festival that cricket lovers look forward to the whole year. To watch its foundation being unraveled on the big screen will surely be a treat for cricket lovers like me, and I can’t wait to get more updates on the film now.