Why only Dhoni? Here are 6 other sportspersons just as deserving of a biopic

With the MS Dhoni biopic right around the corner, a very valid question has sprung up: Why? We’ve listed a few other sportspersons whose biopics we’d be more than happy to see.

With the MS Dhoni biopic right around the corner, a very valid question has sprung up: Why?

Since the biopic is such a hot genre right now, we thought why not put in our requests for the next one.

Why do we need an MS Dhoni biopic? Do we need an MS Dhoni biopic? Will our lives be changed in any way after watching the MS Dhoni biopic that we still can’t figure out we need or not?

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There are two reasons why this is a valid question: A, we simply aren’t used to seeing biopics on sportspersons that are still active - in fact, we aren’t used to seeing too many biopics on Indian sportspersons at all. And B, Dhoni’s story, at least on paper, doesn’t seem as ripe for a juicy movie as we would’ve liked. He’s a simple guy and whatever little controversy he’s been involved in (that we know of) is too slight to capture anyone’s attention for too long.

True, he’s an excellent cricketer who’s led the country to great heights, but is he, for example, more deserving of a tribute such as this than, say, Dhyan Chand?

The idea behind this list isn’t to disregard Dhoni’s many achievements, nor is it to say one person is better than the other. But since the biopic is such a hot genre right now, we thought why not put in our requests for the next one.

Dhyan Chand

He is often regarded as the greatest Indian hockey player ever. Depending on when you were born, he was like Pele (if you’re a grandfather), like Maradona (if you’re old enough to remember the Cold War) and Messi (if you’re a millenial).‘The Wizard’ led India to 3 Olympic golds, in an era where they dominated the sport. Casting suggestion: Nawazuddin maybe? Who doesn’t want to watch this movie?!

Leander Paes-Mahesh Bhupathi

Men's doubles second-place winners Mahesh Bhupathi (L) and Leander Paes of India look at one another and hold their trophies during ceremonies at the Australian Open in Melbourne 30 January. (AFP)

One of the greatest rivalries in the history of tennis was made all the more unique for the fact that they were on the same team. Between 1998 and 2001, Bhupathi and Paes dominated doubles tennis, but their on court success was always overshadowed by their rivalry off it. But despite whatever differences they might have had, they kept turning up to represent India for several more years. And since no one really knows why they fell apart, perhaps the movie will shed some light.

Yuvraj Singh

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2011, Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh plays a shot during the quarter-final match of The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 between India and Australia at The Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera in Ahmedabad. (AFP)

Yuvraj Singh had it all when he lost it all. He was at the top of his game when the cancer came. And then came the recovery. His story has all the makings of a great underdog movie. Add to that the requisite Bollywood glam angle that’ll come thanks to his marriage to Hazel Keech, and what we’ve got is a sure shot hit.

The 1950 Indian football team

We’ve all heard the legend: The only time India qualified for the World Cup was in 1950, but they pulled out because FIFA didn’t allow teams to play barefoot. Now, this might not be entirely true, but that just makes it even more intriguing, doesn’t it?

Saina Nehwal/Sania Mirza

An overview shows India's Saina Nehwal return to Brazil's Lohaynny Vicente during their women's singles qualifying badminton match at the Riocentro stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 11, 2016, at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. (AFP)

Honestly, take your pick. Both these movies are already right up there on ‘the most likely to get made’ list anyway. What we can only hope for is that both Saina and Sania’s journey to the top is the focus, and not their off court lives. Although Sania, especially, leads quite the movie star life these days.

Sania Mirza of India hits a return against seventh seed Serena Williams of the US in their women's singles third round match at the 2005 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, 21 January 2005. (AFP)

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