Sports films are not new to Indian cinema but we surely haven’t had a movie about a sports agent, something along the lines of the John Hamm-starrer Million Dollar Arm. Mithali Ghoshal’s long-delayed project 22 Yards is just that.
Starring TV sensation Barun Sobti, 22 Yards has been in the making since 2016. It faced several production delays, and will finally release this year. The film’s trailer released recently.
The opening shots of the trailer establish that the story is about cricket, and is set in Kolkata. Sobti plays the cricket agent Ron Sen in the film. Director Mithali Ghoshal, a former sports journalist, takes the viewer into the lesser-known world of Indian sports agents.
It depicts Sobti’s fall after being romantically involved with a journalist, and his subsequent rise. Towards the end of the trailer, the actor says a dialogue reminiscent of Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Sathhar Minute’ line from Chak De India.
The movie’s cast includes actors like Rajit Kapur, Amartya Ray, Panchi Borah and Rajesh Sharma. Regarding Sobti, Mithali Ghoshal said in an interview, “We wanted a handsome guy to play the part of this sports agent, Ron Sen. Barun seemed best fit for the role in every way.” The actor is best known for playing the lead role in the hit television serial Iss Pyar Ko Kya Naam Doon?
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Talking about her biggest challenge while making the film, the director said, “I don’t want to sell my struggling story because I’m still struggling. I’d say that established producers in India should really have trust in the content. Only that would help create good cinema. I don’t want to sound immodest but not many people can fight for a long time with a film. They get lost and in the process a good concept gets lost, too.”
22 Yards releases on February 22.
Watch the trailer of the movie here:
Image Courtesy: Scroll.in