Sometimes, heroes and their achievements are lost in the annals of time. Palwankar Baloo’s is one such story, remembered only in the inner circles of Indian cricket. With his 2002 book, A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport, historian Ramachandra Guha put the spotlight on Baloo, the country’s first Dalit cricketer. Now, producers Ajay Devgn, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Priti Vinay Sinha are set to make a film on the sportsperson, who triumphed over caste discrimination to earn his rightful place on the pitch.

Starting out as a groundsman at cricket clubs in Pune, Baloo shifted to Bombay in 1896 and was selected to play for the Hindu Gymkhana. In 1911, the left-arm spin bowler played in the all-Indian team during their England tour in which he took 114 wickets.

While today he is considered the greatest Indian cricketer of the early 20th century, he faced discrimination throughout his career as he belonged to oppressed caste. It is said that during tea intervals at matches, his tea would be brought separately outside as he was not allowed entry in the pavilion. His lunch was served at a separate table.

While in 2017, Dhulia had hinted at helming Baloo’s biopic, he says he will only serve as a producer here. “No story could be stronger than this one,” he says, remembering how he was impacted by the cricketer-political activist’s journey. After he approached Sinha, she bought the book adaptation rights from Dr Guha, and story rights from Baloo’s family.

The historian says that the producers’ sincerity and years-long attachment to the material makes them the right people to take it to a wider audience. “I have admired Tigmanshu’s work. I’m hopeful the [producers] will do justice to the extraordinary story. The story of the struggle of the Dalit cricketers, Baloo and his four brothers, is so important. People feel that Maharaja [KS] Ranjitsinh ji was the first great Indian cricketer, but it was Baloo. He was as great as Ranji—he was a bowler, not a batter; a Dalit, not a prince. He wasn’t born with a silver spoon.”

Dr Guha highlights that since no records were available on the cricketer, he referred to old newspapers for his book. “He was completely obscure till I researched his life and brought him into the public domain. After doing a lot of research, I pieced together the details of his life as a cricketer and what Baloo meant to the Dalits of western India in his time. It’s the pre-Ambedkar story of the Dalit struggle.”

The makers have yet to lock the lead actor and director for the biopic. Hoping to roll the film by the year-end, Sinha says, “We are inspired by Baloo’s incredible story of courage, mental strength and sportsmanship.”

Sameer Nair, Ramachandra Guha, and Pratik Gandhi/ Instagram

In May, to mark five years of Applause Entertainment, creator Sameer Nair announced Gandhi, the magnum opus based on Mahatma Gandhi’s life. The multi-season series will be based on Indian historian-author Ramachandra Guha’s books, Gandhi Before India and Gandhi — The Years That Changed The World. It’s not surprising when Nair begins the chat by admitting that getting Guha on board was not easy. “I pursued Mr Guha for three years,” he smiles, before recounting,

“I first reached out to him in July 2019. I met him without reading the book in its entirety, and he sent me back. Then I read the whole book, and went back to him. I reached out to him again during the pandemic. [The conversation] went from a straight ‘No’ to ‘Let me see’, to ‘Let’s talk.’”

The series, with Pratik Gandhi of 'Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story' (2020) fame in the titular role, will see Hansal Mehta serve as director-showrunner, and Siddhartha Basu as historical and creative consultant. It’s easy to see that Gandhi is Nair’s passion project. The idea, he says, is to tell an all-encompassing story that sees the parallel growth of a nation and a leader.

“I don’t want to draw parallels because that has its own pitfalls, but we are designing a story akin to 'The Crown' or 'The Tudors'. There has been a single story made on Mahatma Gandhi [in terms of a biopic]. Richard Attenborough’s 'Gandhi' (1982) is a two-and-a-half hour movie about one man. Freedom fighters like B R Ambedkar and Subhas Chandra Bose don’t make memorable appearances in the film. We are attempting something more ambitious. We want to tell the story of Gandhi and the Indian independence struggle with all 150 characters since we have the advantage of time. In 25 hours, we will explore the whole gamut.”

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s story begins as a tale of an angry young man, which will be the focus of the first season. It will go on to trace his learnings in South Africa that impacted his ideology. Nair elaborates, “When he went to South Africa, he realised the on-ground impact of racism. The journey plays out from there — how he comes back to India, gathers forces, and becomes Mahatma. The people he meets for 30 years before independence is what we are telling. People tell me they know the story, but do they really? They don’t know the million stories of the freedom movement. Gandhi’s friendship with Muhammad Ali Jinnah remains untapped. The story of the birth of a nation is at the heart of it. The politics of the story adheres to the book Guha has written. This is not a pro or against story. Mr Guha has questioned a lot through the book. For instance, he wrote that Gandhi went on to be the father of the nation, but could he be a father to his own children? It is a human drama, not a political story.”

A show of such magnitude relies as much on the principal cast as on its writing. “I knew the lead had to be Pratik Gandhi because he already does a play on him [Mohan No Masalo]. A range of new actors will be in the show; we want no one with baggage to come. This show is a multi-season commitment, so we need actors who will subscribe to it.”

The drama will go on floors next year.

Truth, love, non-violence and an iron-willed determination, the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi are timeless and have impacted generations of leaders all over the world. Bringing alive the period of Indian Independence, Applause Entertainment is all set to present a biopic on the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Based on the writings of renowned historian and author Ramachandra Guha, a premium, multi-season series will be adapted from his two books — Gandhi Before India and Gandhi — The Years That Changed the World. The series will be produced for a worldwide audience and shot extensively across several Indian and international locations. Pratik Gandhi has been signed to essay the role of Mahatma Gandhi.

From his earliest days to his actions in South Africa to the struggle in India, the series will tell the lesser-known stories of Mahatma Gandhi’s life. It will also tell the stories of his compatriots and contemporaries, the incredible personalities who, along with him, played an integral part in the shaping of what became free and modern India.

Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment, says, “Ramachandra Guha is a historian and storyteller par excellence, and we are honoured to adapt his classic books — Gandhi Before India and Gandhi — The Years That Changed The World — to screen. We couldn’t think of anyone better than the incredibly talented Pratik Gandhi to bring alive the Mahatma and his philosophies of peace and love that shook the world. We believe that only a richly-layered, multi-season drama series will do real justice to Gandhi and to all the great personalities that embed the proud and illustrious history of India’s freedom struggle. This is a story of the birthing of modern India for a global audience.”

Ramachandra Guha says, “Gandhi’s work transformed the world and his legacy still sparks the most intense debates. His life was an epic journey that played out across three great countries — India, England and South Africa. Along the way, he made many friends and a few enemies too. I am delighted that my books on Gandhi are now being adapted for this ambitious and exciting series being produced by Applause Entertainment.”

Pratik Gandhi shares, “I deeply believe in the Gandhian philosophy and his values that echo simplicity in its purest forms. Personally, too, I strive to achieve and imbibe many of his qualities and teachings. Moreover, playing the role of Mahatma has been very close to my heart ever since my theatre days, and now, it is a huge honour to yet again essay the role of this legendary leader on screen. I believe it’s a huge responsibility to essay this role with dignity, grace and conviction.”