Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 24, 2017)

From Milkha Singh and Mary Kom to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, journeys of several Indian sports personalities have charmed Bollywood filmmakers in the recent past. Now, a biopic on badminton sensation Saina Nehwal is in the works. Shraddha Kapoor will step into Nehwal’s shoes in the Amole Gupte-directed project.

The actor, who has started prepping for the role, says, “I have fallen in love with the sport. I look forward to my badminton sessions every day. I see young kids playing the sport amazingly, which is inspiring. It’s a tough sport. Apart from being physically fit, you need to be mentally strong. It’s going to be a challenging role for me.”

The actor also stays in touch with Nehwal for suggestions and feedback. “I keep messaging her. We exchange notes about the game. I also share videos of my training sessions with Saina and she shares her feedback. She tells me how my game can get better. Since I need to pick up her mannerisms and understand her mindset, watching old matches is also part of the preparation,” says Kapoor.

The actor, who spoke during the media interaction for Vogue Eyewear, is awaiting the release of another biopic, Apoorva Lakhia’s Haseena Parkar, in which she plays gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s sister. Asked about doing two biopics back-to-back, Kapoor says, “Working on a biopic is a huge responsibility.
I hope I can do justice to the films.”