Filmmaker Raja Krishna Menon and Shahid Kapoor were expected to collaborate on a biopic on celebrated Manipuri boxer, Ngangom Dingko Singh, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 52, after battling cancer. In 2019, Shahid had expressed that he was keen to headline the cast of the film and even back it as a producer. Schedules of the movie had been planned in 2019 in Manipur, Delhi and an undisclosed international location, but the plan didn’t materialise, and the film was then put on hold. 

Raja Krishna Menon rues the death of the legendary boxer and that the film celebrating his achievements and highlighting his journey did not get made while he was alive. Following the boxer’s demise, Shahid in a post on social media, said, “Padma Shri Dingko Singh was one of the finest boxers, an award-winning sportsperson who’s brought glory to our nation several times. He will always remain a source of inspiration for the young generations. My sincere condolences to his dear ones. May his soul rest in peace (sic).”

Dingko Singh, who was one of the most successful Indian boxers, won the Asian Games gold in 1998 and was bestowed the Arjuna Award the same year. In 2013, he was honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution to the sport. Talking about him, Raja, who has helmed films like Airlift and Chef, says, “His health deteriorated in the last few months. I wanted to speak to him, but I hadn’t done that in recent times. We had some friends in common and hence, I knew about him. Today, I wish I had made that phone call. I remember meeting him and spending time with him while working on the biopic’s screenplay. Sadly, it was put on the back burner. I hope it gets made now because it’s a beautiful story of a journey that is less heard of.”

The filmmaker further adds, “Dingko was such an interesting person and what he achieved was marvellous. I wish we could’ve made the biopic while Dingko Singh was still alive. He fought cancer bravely in the first go and thought it had been wiped out, but it raised its ugly head. I hope the interest in his biopic is revived and it gets made because his is a life that should be saluted and celebrated by all of us.”