Sourav Ganguly hails Rajkummar Rao recreating Lord's moment in biopic Dada: ‘Can't wait to see you play my cover drive’

Rajkummar Rao plays Sourav Ganguly in the former Indian cricket captain's biopic, Dada. The first look was unveiled on Wednesday.

Updated on: Jul 8, 2026, 14:38:17 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

The makers of Sourav Ganguly's biopic, Dada, chose his 54th birthday to give him a special gift. The first poster of the film, featuring Rajkummar Rao as Sourav, was unveiled along with the film's release date. The poster, which sees Rajkummar recreate the Prince of Calcutta's famous Lord's balcony celebration, prompted a response from the cricket legend himself.

Rajkummar Rao (R) recreated Sourav Ganguly's Lord's balcony celebration for the first look of his biopic Dada.

On Wednesday morning, Rajkummar and the film's makers shared the poster of Dada - The Sourav Ganguly Story. “Happy Birthday our dearest Dada. @souravganguly,” Rajkummar wrote in the caption alongside the image of him, shirtless waving the India jersey from the Lord's balcony, just like how Ganguly had done when India won the NatWest Trophy final in 2002.

Minutes after the poster was unveiled, Ganguly shared it on his social media and reacted to RajKummar Rao's look. Calling it the "best gift ever," he wrote, “The Best Gift Ever! Can't wait to see you play my cover drive! @rajkummar_rao.”

Celebrating Sourav Ganguly's legacy

The poster recreates one of the historic moments of Ganguly's career, showing a shirtless RajKummar Rao waving his jersey from the Lord's balcony after India's famous NatWest Trophy win over England in 2002. The world-record chase at the time was led by Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif, who helped India chase down a mammoth 326, prompting Ganguly to wave his shirt from the Lord's balcony. The gesture was a direct response to English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who had previously celebrated a series draw in Mumbai by taking off his own jersey on the field.

Sourav Ganguly, who is celebrating his 54th birthday today, is a veteran Indian cricketer with more than 18,000 international runs. Widely known as one of India's greatest batters and captains, he was hailed just as much for his aggressive tactics as he was for his graceful batting. A force in one-day cricket, he formed one-half of India's most successful opening pair with Sachin Tendulkar.

About the Sourav Ganguly biopic

Dada - The Sourav Ganguly Story is directed by Vikramaditya Motwane , produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg under Luv Films and is presented by Gulshan Kumar, Bhushan Kumar, T-Series and DBL. The film is set to hit the screens on May 14, 2027.

According to the makers, the biographical sports drama will revolve around Ganguly's journey from a young cricketer to one of India's most successful captains. It will focus on his career, the challenges he faced, and the role he played in shaping a fearless Indian cricket team that inspired a new generation of players.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crickit, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Infographics & much more. Explore now!.

Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.