Vijay Amritraj's life, on the tennis court and off, to be the subject of a biopic produced by son Prakash

In the wake of numerous biopics around Indian sportsmen — MS Dhoni,  Sachin Tendulkar, Milkha Singh, Saina Nehwal, Mary Kom — there’s another story all set to unravel the making of a sports legend.

According to a report by Mumbai Mirror, a biographical film on Indian tennis player, actor and humanitarian Vijay Amritraj is in the works.

Speaking to the newspaper, Amritraj’s son, Prakash said, “I’ve always felt blessed to have my father as my greatest hero. Everyone is aware of his numerous achievements but my brother Vikram and I have always felt that the world would be a better place with more love, inspiration, and hope after knowing him as a person and what made him who he is today.”

Rohit Khattar, who is co-producing the film along with Prakash said that they decided to bring the story in front of the audiences because they feel “people will be in awe of the challenges he faced before achieving greatness.” Khattar also adds that Amritraj’s story has “many firsts for India and Indian sports,” thus making him one of the first Indian sportsman to become a world-renowned name.

Amritraj played his first Grand Prix in 1970. In 1973, he reached the quarterfinals at two Grand Slams, and marked his first significant success on the world platform.

Over the years, he has also featured in many big international film projects including 1983’s Bond film, Octopussy and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986.

He was conferred the prestigious Padma Shri in 1983 and was declared the United Nations messenger of peace in 2001. In 2006, Amritraj established the  Vijay Amritraj Foundation which works towards providing relief to victims in adverse conditions in India.

Speaking about the upcoming biopic on his life, Amritraj said his family had a lot to do in making what he is today. He said, “Parents’ love, compassion and hard work under the most trying circumstances can make a child’s dream come true, even if he or she is nowhere near good enough in anything. I am humbled my story is being told but this is more about my mother, my children and their overwhelming love.”

The biopic is reported to go on the floors in 2018.