Parineeti Chopra plays the ace badminton player in the biopic, Saina.It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the journey of upcoming Saina Nehwal biopic was a roller-coaster side. From Shraddha Kapoor stepping out of the film to speculation that the biopic would have an OTT release, Saina team went through many ups and downs in these last few years. The film, with Parineeti Chopra in lead, however, finally has a theatrical release date and the makers are making the most of the current buzz. The film releases on March 26.
Saina, helmed by Amol Gupte, dropped its teaser last week leaving fans impressed with Parineeti’s look and her commendable imitation of the Olympic winning badminton player.
The team also got public display of support from Saina herself as she shared the teaser on social media and wrote, “Always makes me proud to see my national flag soar high!” Saina also complimented Parineeti’s look, writing, “Woww this is superb… love the look as mini saina.”
The teaser gives us glimpses into the badminton champ’s life and how she took up the sport early on, when she was a small girl, and how India cheered for her as she participated in international tournaments.
Saina was initially supposed to feature Shraddha Kapoor in the titular role. The actor had aced the look test and reportedly started training under Indian team head coach Pullela Gopichand for over a month-and-a-half to get into the role of the badminton player. After extensive training, Shraddha had started filming the movie too in September 2018, but it was stalled as she was diagnosed with dengue. Then, in early 2019, T-Series announced that Parineeti Chopra had replaced Shraddha in the biopic.
"I had only my pressure and that of my director. I wanted to impress him and work hard to learn the sport. I didn't take any external pressure. The pressure was me, my coach approving what I'm learning, my director approving what I'm looking like on-screen. There was no other pressure," the actor said.
"I met her in Hyderabad and she told me she had never seen me playing badminton. So, she asked me, 'Will you be able to play it?'" Parineeti said. The actor said this made her a little nervous. "When I heard that, I got a little nervous. Then I looked around her house and it's only filled with trophies, medals, racquets and shuttle cocks. So, when I came back, I told my coach that we needed to practice harder. So we increased the intensity."
The actor spoke on the real strength of the biopic, saying, "The real winning point for the film is how it shows what went into making Saina a winner. How her mother felt when she would eat something or how bad her father felt when the family didn't have money. And we have shown a major chunk of Saina's life, which shows how invested we were in her life. So, this wasn't about showing a girl for a few mins and then show her playing badminton. It was about Saina's complete journey."
Parineeti Chopra spoke about the contribution of women in her family in her journey. "I have been raised in a family where there wasn't any disparity between men and women. I woke up to gender disparity after I entered Bollywood. My parents spent the most on my education and there were several times when I was given more opportunities than my brothers. So, I don't even know why we talk about it."
After days of teasing fans with the first look video, the makers of Saina dropped its trailer on Monday. And in the 2.3-minute Parineeti Chopra starrer Saina trailer, we are shows glimpses of everything Saina faced to emerge numero uno. READ MORE
Talking about trolling, Parineeti said, "I function very differently. If I find criticism valid, I will take up sportingly. But if I don't find any merit in it then I ignore it."
The director deflected the question, saying, "I have COVID-19 so I can't hear anything. I won't be able to answer this. I won't answer this."
Sharing the trailer, Parineeti Chopra wrote, "SAINA This women's day I am proud to bring to you - SAINA. In cinemas 26th March. Watch the trailer now."
Parineeti now introduces child artiste, who plays the young Saina, Nysha. She is herself a badminton champion. "I am actually nervous because this is the first time I am on stage in front of people. I liked all the scenes and I was really excited when I was told that I would play Saina as she has been my inspiration," she said.
"My personal goal with this film is this that people should give badminton the respect it deserves in the country. It took me at least 5-6 months to just get basics right. But emotionally, I left it to Amol sir because no one has the emotional depth that he has. Sometimes I would get worried set when Amol sir would do scenes for me," she said.
Parineeti said she was 'searching for a challenge like this'. "The kind of roles that I was doing until then were either extension of me or what writers and directors thought of me. So, I was exactly looking for this. There was no thinking at all as soon as I heard two words: Saina Nehwal and Amol Gupte," the actor said.
Amol Gupte talks about the biopic, "We have kept most of the characters fictional except Saina and her mentor."
Amol Gupte on making Saina, "In February 2015, Saina Nehwal became world no 1. I just grabbed the film. I staked my claim because I love Saina Nehwal. There were four times when the film was about to get cancelled, but T-Series' Bhushan Kumar stood by us. I am paying a tribute to Saina through Parineeti, and to her mentors."
Amol Gupte said during the trailer launch, "I have just recovered from COVID-19. All of you please take care and keep wearing masks."
The trailer launch will be followed by a special screening of the trailer for only women journalists on the occasion of International Women's Day.
The red carpet for Saina Nehwal biopic's trailer launch is converted into a make-shift badminton court as camerapersons wait for Parineeti Chopra and team to arrive for the event.
Kapil Sharma tweeted, "Always proud of u saina we r eagerly waiting, u r an inspiration to millions who want to make it big on their own n make their parents n country proud lots of love n best wishes always my regards to uncle n aunty."
Shreya Ghoshal tweeted, "Wow! An inspiring teaser can’t wait for the movie @NSaina @ParineetiChopra @AmaalMallik."
Praising film Saina's teaser, Sania Mirza tweeted, "Looks so good guys.. amazing.. looking forward to it @ParineetiChopra @NSaina."
Saina Nehwal tweeted a still from the film and wrote, "Woww this is superb ... love the look as mini saina @ParineetiChopra #SainaMovie."
Parineeti Chopra tweeted a while ago, "TRAILER OUT TODAY. #SAINA."