A biopic on a famous sports personality is a tried and tested formula that has proved to be successful in Bollywood. While movies on the likes of MS Dhoni, Mary Kom and Milkha Singh have already been made, there is another captivating story in the pipeline.
The story of sprinter Dutee Chand, who is famous for her fight against the authorities born out of her hyperandrogenism (excess of male hormones), has caught the attention of a renowned filmmaker. Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, who presented the story of ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh on the silver screen, is reportedly interested in doing the same with Dutee Chand’s story.
As reported in India Today, Mehra has even approached Dutee and her coach N Ramesh. Rupinder Singh, a famous athletics commentator, was the mediator through whom Mehra approached the duo.
Ramesh spoke to India Today as he said, "At that time, we were too focused on the Olympics, so obviously we couldn't divert our attention on anything else."
The reigning National champion at 100m sprint was subjected to a series of tests in June 2014 by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), on request from the Athletics Federation of India. Although the tests revealed high androgen levels, SAI challenged the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) regulation before the CAS.
In July 2015, CAS upheld Dutee’s appeal against the IAAF’s ruling that declared her ineligible to take part in events as a female under its hyperandrogenism clause. This win was a landmark in the 20-year-old runner’s career, and since the ruling, Dutee has been training at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad.
Also Read: They didn't want to share a room with me, now the same people love me for Rio: Dutee Chand
It has been further reported that Mehra’s team is now in contact with a Bangalore-based sports management company. The company, which came into the picture at Pullela Gopichand’s suggestion, are negotiating terms on behalf of Dutee.
Dutee has been sent a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the filmmakers but she is yet to sign it. However, sources close to the sprinter have confirmed that she is very much interested in showcasing her life story on the silver screen.
"We are too naive and there are too many technicalities involved in such cases. We are training here day in and day out and don't want to get into all this. Dutee has been an inspiration to many and obviously, people should know about her and her fight," Ramesh added.
