As India’s women cricket team clinches World Cup, Anushka Sharma’s biopic on pioneering woman cricketer is lying in the can for over 2 years

Since cinema is a reflection of society and what’s happening out there, it’s time that Hindi cinema also catches up and comes out with the biopic of a woman cricketer. While we’ve already seen Srijit Mukherjee’s Shabaas Mithu (2022), in which Taapsee Pannu played Mithali Raj, that turned out to be a major box-office disaster, managing to earn only Rs 2.89 crore, less than one-tenth of its budget of Rs 48 crore.

Another biopic of an iconic woman cricket player was supposed to release the following year in October 2023, but hasn’t seen light of the day yet. Chakda ‘Xpress, directed by Prosit Roy and produced by Karnesh Ssharma’s banner Clean Slate Filmz, stars his sister Anushka Sharma as Jhulan Goswami. In fact, the film has even completed its shoot, but is awaiting an update on its progress for a couple of years now.

What happened?

The making of Chakda ‘Xpress has been fraught with hurdles right since its inception in 2019. After actor-writer Abhishek Banerjee finished the first draft of the film, it was supposed to go on floors in 2020. But the Covid-19 pandemic struck, causing delays in production. After Anushka announced her pregnancy during the pandemic, one of the producers even pulled out of the project.

However, after the success of their maiden original collaboration, Anvita Dutt’s period horror film Bulbbul, Netflix India and Clean Slate Filmz decided to team up on Chakda ‘Xpress. Anushka even trained with Jhulan Goswami, and pictures of her shooting the biopic as the latter even got leaked online. The filming was completed within six months, from June till December 2022.

Netflix India had even announced that Chakda ‘Xpress would release on the platform in October 2023. However, while the post-production on the film was in full force, Netflix India and Clean Slate Filmz had a major fallout which led to the termination of their deal after four years. While the exact official reason wasn’t disclosed by either parties, but sources say it’s more on the creative lines than logistical. Now, Clean Slate Filmz must buy out Chakda ‘Xpress if it wants to release it, since Netflix India hasn’t shared any update on the film’s progress so far.

Why is the Jhulan Goswami biopic important?

Chakda ‘Xpress holds more significance now than ever, following the Indian women cricket team’s historic victory in the World Cup. Goswami, 42, is considered one of the fastest bowlers in cricket. She holds the record for taking the most number of wickets (255) in Women’s One Day International cricket.

Born in the small town of Chakdaha in West Bengal, she travelled to Kolkata to play the sport since there were no cricketing facilities in her hometown. She captained the Indian women’s cricket team from 2008 till 2011. She was given the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2010, and became the second woman cricketer to be awarded the Padma Shri.  Having retired from international cricket, Goswami now serves as a mentor to the Bengal squad and as a bowling coach to the Indian Premier League team of Mumbai Indians.

Also Read — Anushka Sharma reveals she has been taking batting tips from Virat Kohli for Chakda Xpress: ‘We discuss my progress…’

Even in the cinematic realm, Chakda ‘Xpress holds ample significance. If released, it would mark Anushka Sharma’s return to the big screen seven years after her last role in Aanand L Rai’s Zero in 2018. It’ll be interesting to watch Anushka play on the cricket field, since she’s often seen cheering for her husband and renowned cricketer Virat Kohli in key matches.

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