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Pullela Gopichand on Sudheer Babu portraying him on screen: He is the best choice
Former badminton champion and chief national coach Pullela Gopichand says that Telugu actor Sudheer Babu, who was once his doubles partner and training partner, will take the biopic closer to reality than anyone else could.
Calm, soft-spoken, and sharp eyes — these are the few things you notice upon meeting former badminton champion and chief national coach Pullela Gopichand. Winner of the All England Men’s Singles title in 2001 — the only Indian player to win this championship, following the triumph of Prakash Padukone in 1980 — Gopichand has made an immense contribution to Indian sport. There are only five Indians in the world’s Top 25 today; all of them have been coached by Gopichand. They are: Srikanth Kidambi (No. 3), H.S. Prannoy (No. 8), B Sai Praneeth (No.17), Saina Nehwal (No. 3) and P.V. Sindhu (No. 10). Yet, Gopichand smiles with a humility that doesn’t trumpet his achievement.
Read| Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu are precious diamonds, says coach Pullela Gopichand
Asked how it feels to make India proud on international platforms, he smiles before adding, “I think there’s a sense of responsibility. Down the line, I want to look back at a career that kind of reflects my achievements. As of now, I see it as a job in progress. A lot of work must be done, so there’s definitely a sense of accomplishment, but also a feeling of responsibility.”
Being a person of few words and a lot of hard work, the private Gopinath, 44, is known to very few. Which is why his biopic is of great interest — and it’s being made in Hindi, Telugu, and English, to reach viewers everywhere. The best part? Gopichand’s friend and former court partner, the Telugu actor Sudheer Babu, is playing him on screen.
Gopichand says, “The script is being written by somebody very close to me, who has been a practice partner for years, so I know the film will be close to reality more than anything else.” That Sudheer Babu is playing his role is also a relief for Gopichand. “He was a player, my doubles partner, and has also been my training partner, so he knows what I did and how I did it, and that’ll contribute a lot. He knows many of my friends, colleagues and family members well,” says the badminton ace, again with that smile that comes so readily.
On how involved he would be with the biopic, Gopichand says that it depends on what more is required. He also shares that right now, Sudheer Babu is working on his look: “Sudheer has been there at [my] badminton academy [watching me closely]. He also needs to lean down a little to look like me. And the way he is progressing, I can only say that he is doing it well.”
Just the man: Sudheer Babu’s badminton background
Telugu actor Sudheer Babu was also a professional badminton player, and a partner to Gopichand. Before getting into acting, he had attained the No. 1 position in state-level badminton, in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. In an earlier interview, Sudheer had said that acting just happened and he then pursued it. He got his first lead role in Shiva Manasulo Shruti (2012). His wife Priyadarshini is the sister of Telugu actor Mahesh Babu.
Interact with Shreya Mukherjee on Twitter/ @Shreya_MJ
