Actor Rajkummar Rao will portray former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly in the upcoming Bollywood biographical film "Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story" [1].
The project aims to dramatize the journey of one of India's most successful captains, celebrating his rise from a young player to a national leader [1, 2].
The film is scheduled to release May 14, 2027 [1]. Production focuses on recreating key moments from Ganguly's career, including the iconic celebration at Lord's Cricket Ground in London [2, 3].
Earlier, a first-look poster was unveiled July 8, 2024 [4], which coincided with Ganguly's birthday [4]. The image featured Rao recreating the famous Lord's moment, sparking a variety of reactions from the public [3, 5].
Ganguly expressed his support for the casting and the project. "Can't wait to see you play my cover drive," Ganguly said [6].
Despite the support from the subject, the first-look poster faced criticism from some viewers online. One internet user said, "Even AI will make a better poster" [7].
The film is directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and intends to capture the professional and personal milestones of the former captain's life [1].
“"Can't wait to see you play my cover drive."”
The production of 'Dada' reflects a continuing trend in Indian cinema of blending sports history with high-budget biographical storytelling. By focusing on the Lord's celebration, the film targets the emotional nostalgia of the Indian cricket fanbase, though the early social media backlash suggests high audience expectations for visual accuracy in sports biopics.
