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Ravi Shastri angry with his portrayal in the Movie 'Azhar'

Ravi Shastri during a practice session with the Indian team

Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin’s biopic “Azhar” seems to have irked several people. The Emraan Hashmi starter film has now irritated former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri. According to a report in Times of India, Shastri is extremely angry by his portrayal in the movie. 

The Tony D’Souza-directed biopic doesn’t address any of Azharuddin’s teammates by their full names but the makers used their first names. With the first names being intact, anyone who is even remotely aware with Indian cricket from that era would know which players are being referred to.

Ravi Shastri’s character in the film is shown to be an out- and out womaniser. Actor Gautam Gulati plays the character of Ravi Shastri in “Azhar”. In the film Ravi even cheats on his wife during a tour where she accompanies him. This particular segment has led to Shastri being furious with the film, according to reports.

Also read: Everyone thinks Mohammad Azharuddin was a match-fixer. But what is the full story and why was his ban lifted?

Here are a few tweets of Gulati during the shoot. 

The report also says that the 53-year-old former cricketer who has represented India in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs has expressed his concerns to the cricket authorities. His family is also extremely disappointed at Shastri’s portrayal in the film.

Also read: 'Azhar' movie review

Mohammad Azharuddin is considered as one of the best captains of the Indian cricket team but is also the most controversial figure in Indian cricket. His alleged involvement in match-fixing led to a life ban from cricket by the ICC in 2000.

His biopic has also caused several controversies. Previously former Indian cricketer Manoj Prabhakar had expressed his anger and even threatened to take legal action against the makers of the film. Azharuddin’s former wife Sangeeta Bijlani also wasn’t pleased with the way her character was shown in the film.

The reports also claim that Shastri’s portrayal in the film is a reflection of Azharuddin’s issues with Shastri. The infamous string operation that had led to Azhar’s match-fixing charges had Ravi Shastri saying several things and his portrayal in the film is Azharuddin’s way of getting back at his former teammate.     

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