By Sanskriti Pandey:
“Cricket hamara dharm hai
Azhar hamari sharm hai”
In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, a poster painted with these words flashes on the stands. It’s the beginning of the story of a big controversy that has become the memory of one man – Mohammed Azharuddin. Hero of the cricket-crazy India of the ‘90s, Azharuddin’s life has since been the stuff of gossip, and one quick question to your parents about the man can weave out nostalgic trips about the era of that frenzied religion of cricket. From the iconic raised collar to a metaphorical bent head, from 3 tons in 3 Tests to the celebrated captain of 90 ODI wins, from enviably fluid wrist-twisting batting styles to questioned twisted moralities in his personal life, the talk around Azharuddin has seen it all. But the three things he says he is known for are God, marriages, and the undoing of a career – the match-fixing scandal of 2000.
One would think that the very public successes and turbulences of such a life should have had a biopic movie in the coming already, and yes, it’s happening! Directed by Tony D’Souza, can ‘Azhar’ be touted to become one of the best cricket movies till date, courtesy the subject? It remains to be seen how and if the biopic will cover everything from his career high and the lifetime ban that was later lifted, to his two broken marriages and the death of his 19 year old son.
Emraan Hashmi picks up the bat as the unconventional Azharuddin in an ‘Azhar’ teaser trailer released recently by Balaji Motion Pictures. Described as the story of a “fallen hero”, will ‘Azhar’ do justice to being a biopic? The film is set to release on 13 May, 2016. Watch the teaser here and tell us what you think of it!
