Who will play Sourav Ganguly on screen? That has been the big question since 2021 when the former Indian cricket captain announced the biopic. Speculation intensified earlier this year with Ayushmann Khurrana and Ranbir Kapoor said to be the frontrunners for the role.

In May, mid-day reported that Khurrana would team up with director Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth for the biopic (Ayush to play Dada on screen, May 31). Now, it has been learnt that the actor-director duo will kick off the shoot in December.

Portraying one of India’s most successful skippers won’t come easy. The actor will have to train in various aspects— from replicating Ganguly’s batting stance to perfecting his manner of hitting winners on the off-side. An advantage that Khurrana enjoys is that he is a left-handed batter like the former cricketer.

A source reveals, “Ayushmann will begin training next month in Mumbai, giving him over two months to prep for the role before the project goes on floors in December.” Ganguly, who is closely involved with the Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg production, is said to have already met the leading man. It’s uncertain yet whether the first schedule will be shot in Mumbai or in the former cricketer’s native city, Kolkata.

Khurrana and Garg remained unavailable for comment.

In 2021, former Indian men’s cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly took to social media to share that a biopic on his life is in the offing, and that it will be produced by Luv Ranjan’s banner. Last month, it was reported that Ranbir Kapoor was the top contender for the lead role.

However, Sourav had dismissed the news back then, saying, “No final decision has been taken. I hope we can share something positive after the meeting.”

A few days ago, rumours resurfaced that Ranbir is likely to head to Kolkata soon to visit the iconic Eden Gardens, CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) office and even Ganguly’s house before he starts shooting for the biopic, which is speculated to be mounted on a huge budget. Sourav has reportedly said yes to the final draft of the script and the film is supposed to roll out soon.

When we reached out to the film’s co-producer, Ankur Garg, he said, “Honestly, there’s no update to share at this point in time. The biopic will be one of the projects that we will focus on after our upcoming film’s release. For now, casting or anything else hasn’t been discussed.”

Sourav’s wife, Dona Ganguly, said, “I am not sure. I don’t know yet,” and added all speculations are too premature.

Sanjay Das, a close friend of Sourav and one of the initiators of this biopic, shared, “Nothing about the film is fixed yet. We will need at least eight-nine months to decide who will play the lead role. Once everything falls into place, Sourav and the production house will formally announce who will play his character on screen. That Ranbir Kapoor is likely to play Dada is just a rumour, at least at this point.”

Ajay Devgn's all set to surprise the audience in the festive period of Dussehra next year. His contemporary romantic-comedy, produced by Bhushan Kumar, Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg, will be a treat for cinegoers on Dussehra next year.

The makers have ear-marked October 19, 2018 as the release date for the film that also stars Tabu and a younger actress, whose name has been kept under wraps. The film also marks film editor Akiv Ali's (Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, Agneepath, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Kaabil) directorial debut.

This untitled venture is the second film in the multi-movie deal between Ranjan's LUV Films and T-Series. Their first collaboration is Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. Delighted to present this romcom, Bhushan Kumar, head of T-Series, enthuses, “This not only strengthens our film slate for the upcoming year, but also our commitment to entertain the global Indian audience.“

Ankur of LUV Films adds, “Given Ajay's connect with the family audience and a consistent box office track record during festivals and national holidays, we find Dussehra to be an ideal time to treat the audience with our romcom.“

Tabu, who first shared screen space with Ajay Devgn in the 1994 action-drama, Vijaypath, is all set to collaborate with her long-time friend again. Mirror has learnt that the actress has been approached to play a prominent part in an upcoming Ajay-starrer - a contemporary romcom written and produced by Luv Ranjan, who has previously helmed the comedy franchise Pyaar Ka Punchnama, and the emotional love-story, AkaashVaani. The yet-to-be-titled film will be produced by Luv and his business partner Ankur Garg and marks the directorial debut of Akiv Ali, the award-winning film editor of Gangster, Kites, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Barfi!, Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai, Agneepath and the upcoming Anurag Basu-directorial, Jagga Jasoos. Expected to roll by the year-end, it is a quirky take on urban relationships with the two-time National Award winners and Padma Shree awardees in pivotal roles.

A source close to the film confirmed that Tabu has given her nod to the project and is looking forward to playing a character that showcases her in a completely different light. “It's a unique romcom and not a love triangle. Ajay and Tabu are not opposite each other and Luv has written the role with Tabu in mind, believing that only she can play the part. Another A-list actress will be cast as Ajay's love interest,“ the source added, informing that there has been no reading or narration yet because the actors are in Goa filming Golmaal Again, the fourth instalment of Rohit Shetty's hit franchise.

In an interview to Mirror (June 15, 2015), before the release of Nishikant Kamat's Drishyam, Tabu had said, “Ajay and I grew up together. He was my brother's buddy and every evening he'd drive up in his open jeep while we sat waiting on the bungalow wall. The camaraderie is the same even today. He's crazy fun and all heart. With Ajay around, it is always a picnic.“

HIT FOR A SIX!

Vijaypath (1994)
Originally meant for Divya Bharti, the role of Ajay Devgn's leading lady went to Tabu, who won the Filmfare Award (Best Debut) as the duo danced to “Ruk Ruk Ruk...“

Haqeeqat (1995)
Directed by Sandesh Kohli, this one had Tabu as a widow in distress who is rescued by Ajay's good samaritan.

Thakshak (1999)
This action-drama, written and directed by Govind Nihalani, was a poetic romance set against the Mumbai cityscape.

Drishyam (2015)
In the remake of Jeetu Joseph's acclaimed Malayalam film featuring Mohanlal, Ajay played a cable TV service provider who faces off with Tabu's Inspector General Meera Deshmukh after her son who was last spotted in his home, goes missing.

Fitoor (2016)
In Abhishek Kapoor's Hindi adaptation of Great Expectations, Tabu played Begum Hazrat Jaan, a desi Miss Havisham with Ajay Devgn in a special appearance as Moazam (Pip's secret benefactor, the escaped convict Abel Magwitch). The two did not have any scenes together.

Golmaal Again (2017)
The fourth instalment of the Golmaal franchise sees Tabu and Parineeti Chopra join the regulars, Ajay, Arshad Warsi, Shreyas Talpade and Tusshar Kapoor. The unit is filming in Goa.

After entertaining audiences with Pyaar Ka Punchnama (PKP) and its sequel, Pyaar Ka Punchanama 2 (PKP 2) that looked at the travails of men in love in a humorous way, director Luv Ranjan is teaming up with Bhushan Kumar to jointly produce several films. Their first collaboration will be a quirky, new-age love triangle set in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Kartik Aaryan, Nushrat Bharucha and Sunny Singh, who won the audiences' hearts with their performances in PKP 2, will essay the lead roles.

Scheduled to go on floors this month, the romcom is being helmed by Luv and is his maiden production venture with partner Ankur Garg. This is also the fourth time he is working with Kartik and Nushrat.

Luv says, “After PKP 2, Bhushan approached me and said how he believed in my work. Given his excellent sense of music and unparalleled marketing muscle, I couldn't have asked for a better association.“

Bhushan, on his part, says, “Luv understands the pulse of the youth and has a knack for making highly relatable and entertaining cinema. We are committed towards making content-driven movies and are proud to jointly produce them with Luv Films.“

The as-yet untitled project, produced by T-Series and Luv Films, is slated to release in August 2017.