Actor Anushka Sharma is set to return to the screens after a gap of three years with a film inspired by the story of Indian cricketer Jhulan Goswami, Netflix announced on Thursday. Produced by Clean Slate Filmz, Chakda Xpress is directed by Prosit Roy.
Talking about the film, Sharma said in a statement, “It is a really special film because it is essentially a story of tremendous sacrifice. Chakda Xpress is inspired by the life and times of former Indian captain Jhulan Goswami and it will be an eye-opener into the world of women’s cricket. At a time when Jhulan decided to become a cricketer and make her country proud on the global stage, it was very tough for women to even think of playing the sport. This film is a dramatic retelling of several instances that shaped her life and also women’s cricket.”
“From support systems, to facilities, to having a stable income from playing the game, to even having a future in cricket – very little propelled women of India to take up cricket as a profession. Jhulan had a fighting and extremely uncertain cricketing career and she stayed motivated to make her country proud. She strived to change the stereotype that women can’t make a career out of playing cricket in India so that the next generation of girls had a better playing field. Her life is a living testimony that passion and perseverance triumphs over any or all adversities and Chakda Xpress is the most definitive look into the not so rosy world of women’s cricket back then. There is still a lot of work to be done and we have to empower them with the best so that the sport can flourish for women in India,” she added.
All aboard the Chakda ‘Xpress! Get ready for a journey of a lifetime with the greatest fast bowler @JhulanG10 herself🎉🥳 https://t.co/Lb4mv1XM8y
— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) January 6, 2022
Along with the teaser of the film, it was also revealed that the filming for Chakda Xpress will soon begin.
“The journey of Jhulan Goswami, while deeply inspiring, is also painfully astounding in revealing the many odds she encountered; and Chakda Xpress is the story of her achievements in spite of those challenges,” Pratiksha Rao, Director, Films and Licensing, Netflix India added in the statement.
The release date and rest of the cast for the film is yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, Sharma was last seen in the 2018 film Zero, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif. Her last project as a producer was the Netflix film Bulbbul. As a producer, the actor’s next project as a producer will be the Netflix original series titled Mai.
