BIOPIC ON DEEPA MALIK TO BE PRODUCED BY EXCEL ENTERTAINMENT

Don't we just love it when real life heroes find a place on the silver screen? There are some stories that one must hear and then there are some that one ought to see and Deepa Malik's story definitely falls in the latter category. The only Indian paralympian to have won a silver at Rio de Janerio, she deserves all the respect in the world and the team at Excel Entertainment, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar are all set to honour the warrior at their own level and will be producing a biopic on the sports personality's life.

Deepa Malik, now 46, suffered a severe back problem 20 years. While initially it was assumed by doctors that it was just the after effects of pregnancy, it was later found out that she had a tumour in her spinal column. The athlete had to undergo 31 surgeries and 183 stitches at the age of 26, while her husband was away fighting for his country in Kargil. Nonchalant by what had just happened to her, she went to conquer the world.

Ritesh Sidhwani, who is producing Deepa’s biopic with partner Farhan Akhtar under their banner Excel Entertainment, shared details on the film with The Indian Express and said, “I had watched videos of her and knew that her life story was unreal, but when I met her and she let me hold her medal, the sheer weight of the silver gave me gooseflesh. At one point in her life, she had to choose between death and life in a wheelchair and she chose the latter. But as she sat in front of me, there was nothing differently-abled about her. She was empowering, a pillar of strength, and I knew that we needed to take her fight to the big screen.”

Sidhwani further shared, “In 2006, she took to javelin throw and then had to change her sport one year before the Paralympics. For an event for which people train their entire lives, she had only 12 months to learn shot put. She returned home with a silver medal in Rio.”

The project is expected to go on floors early next year but the cast hasn't been confirmed yet. We just cannot wait to see this on the 70mm screen! It's going to be one roller-coaster of emotions!