Shah Rukh as Dhyan Chand and Ranbir as Kishore Kumar: The biopics to look forward to

From Shah Rukh Khan’s abs to Deepika Padukone’s flat stomach, Katrina Kaif’s item numbers and Salman Khan’s punches and punch lines — Bollywood knows exactly what sells. But with remakes of South Indian films going stale and their success rate becoming increasingly unpredictable at the box office, Bollywood has now turned to making biopics for making money.

If the past few years are any indication, it does seem to be a fantastic idea. It was only last year that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s excruciatingly long Bhaag Milkha Bhaag had the cash registers ringing and swept all the awards.  This year too, Priyanka Chopra’s Mary Kom had a decent run, so what if she didn’t look a thing like the boxer, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is happy with the box office results and that’s all that matters. Also, Vidya Balan’s Silk Smitha act in Dirty Picture was a huge hit and well, Irfaan Khan’s Pan Singh Tomar achieved what Khan’s films generally achieves — critical acclaim.

Therefore, Bollywood has finally got it’s new tried-and-tested formula in place, which means that we as an audience are all set to see many biopics in the coming years. Here is a the line-up of biopics that Bollywood promises to churn out:

1. Sonam Kapoor as Amrita Sher-Gil in a biopic on the painter: According to a report in The  Times Of India, Sonam Kapoor is all set to play the role of the painter and is already in talks with her family about it.

Amrita Sher-Gil, who was born in 1913 to a Sikh aristocrat and painter father and a Jewish opera singer mother from Hungary, died at the age of 28. Often referred to as the Frida Kahlo of India, Sher-Gil has influenced many artists of her generation and the biopic will ‘depict her mentors and her love life’ as well.

While there is no report stating who will direct the film, with Kapoor at the helm of things, we already know that we can expect to see exquisite vintage fashion (we are talking bespoke saris, vintage hairstyles and perhaps we will also see some of Kapoor’s family heirlooms) . Since Sher-Gil travelled a lot in European countries we also expect to see many beautiful locations.

2. Irrfan Khan as Sahir Ludhianvi in Amrita Pritam’s biopic: While we are yet to know who will play the role of poet Amrita Pritam, Irrfan Khan has been cast as Lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi in the film. The movie will reportedly chronicle the love story of Pritam and Ludhianvi ( to read about the love story of Sahir Ludhianvi and Amrita Pritam click here )

Talking about the film Khan said , “I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this. I don’t have to prepare to play Sahir. I’ve grown up with his poetry. His thoughts are so much a part of our consciousness that we don’t need to explore them any further to know him. His lines have left a deep impact on all of us who grew up in post-Independent India.”

Well, Khan isn’t the only one who is looking forward to the film we must say.

3. Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Begum Samru biopic: After the very unfortunate Bullet Raja, Dhulia is all set to redeem himself with his biopic on Begum Samru,a nautch girl in 18th century India, who eventually became the ruler of Sardhana, near Meerut.

While there have been many reports flying around about Rani Mukerji being cast as Begum Samru , the actress hasn’t confirmed it yet. Reports were also doing rounds that Kareena Kapoor had refused the film due to bold scenes but the actress refuted these reports. However, she also added that won’t be playing Begum Samru. Dhulia is yet to find his Begum and while he is at it, we can only hope that with this biopic he relives the success of Pan Singh Tomar.

4. Ranbir Kapoor as Kishore Kumar: After the duo got the cash registers ringing and also won over critics with Barfi! Anurag Basu is all set to team up with Ranbir Kapoor for a biopic on legendary singer-actor, Kishore Kumar. While the hunt for a female lead, who will play the role of yesteryear actress Madhubhala onscreen is on, Kapoor will be essaying the role of the legendary singer. The film was initially slated to go on floor last year, however, it was later pushed because Basu was simultaneously writing three scripts.

5. A biopic on hockey star Dhyan Chand: Media reports claim that several biopics are being contemplated on the life of India’s greatest hockey player. In fact, reports claim that Shah Rukh Khan is likely to portray Dhyan Chand’s character in one such film.

Shah Rukh confirmed the news, saying “Yes, I have been approached for a movie based on the legendary Dhyan Chandji’s life. Hockey, as a sport, isn’t new to me since I have been an athlete throughout my school and college life, and I’ve played a lot, especially hockey.” In fact, very few know that SRK led the hockey team in his school.

However, the details of Shah Rukh’s project are still under the wraps, while a couple of other biopics on Dhyan Chand are already underway.