Documentary on Yuvraj Singh set for 2017 release
A documentary based on the life and career of Yuvraj Singh is on the cards and a US-based production company named Apex Entertainment has taken the mantle of telling his story.
The market for sports biopics has seen an upward trend in India of late with movies based on popular sportspersons like Milkha Singh and Mary Kom garnering critical and commercial success. Keeping with this trend, biopics on MS Dhoni and Mohammed Azharuddin are also slated for release this year.
Considering the fact that Yuvraj has been one of the most popular cricketers in our country, fans will be more than eager to watch a film covering his rollercoaster life.
Apex Entertainment is headed by former Major League Baseball pitcher Mark Ciardi and specializes in producing sports-based movies. Some of the popular ones include Miracle, The Rookie, Invincible, The Game Plan and Million Dollar Arm. The production house has worked with high-profile Hollywood actors like Dennis Quaid, Dwayne Johnson, and Kurt Russell.
Speaking to the Times of India from Los Angeles, Ciardi said, “I have always believed in our company's philosophy of bringing aspirational stories from the world to you characters who overcome adversity, stories that inspire minds. Yuvraj's story is not just a cricket story, it's a human interest story.
“People like to watch greatness. He is an inspiration to a billion Indians and cricket fans globally, the way he faced odds in his life and career, the way he survived cancer and the way he fought back to earn his place in the Indian team. His story is worth telling and that's why we are extremely thrilled to have got this chance."
Talking about how they acquired the rights for Yuvraj's documentary, the Apex Entertainment president stated, "The USA has a sizeable Indian population who follow cricket. A superstar like Yuvraj Singh is widely followed especially after he came to the US for cancer treatment.
“It was one of our common friends Ash Vasudevan (Apex co-founder) who helped us connect with Yuvraj last year where he told us that he quite liked Invincible and Miracle which were produced by us and he would like a film made on his life as well. I am happy that he gave us the rights and we would do our best to not disappoint him."
The film will be primarily shot in India to give it a realistic feel and is also going to feature Yuvraj's parents, Yograj, and Shabnam. Apex are planning to release the documentary sometime in 2017, provided things go as per schedule.