Chennai: Aishwaryaa R Dhanush, daughter of superstar Rajinikanth, will direct the first-ever sports biopic in Tamil titled – “Mariyappan”.
The first look of the film was released by Shah Rukh Khan on Twitter on New Year day. His tweet, “Here’s presenting the first look of the biopic on #MariyappanThangavelu, our very own national hero, all the best @ash_r_dhanush” set the social media ablaze.
Para-athlete T Mariyappan from rural Tamil Nadu became the toast of the nation after his stunning golden show in the men’s high jump in the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
The film is also likely to be shot in English with a bigger audience in mind. The cast hasn’t been finalised, and it’s Mariyappan himself on the poster.
“Everything looks like a dream for me. When Aishwaryaa madam approached me with this idea, I didn’t know how to react. But my mother and I were over the moon upon hearing it. This movie will certainly be an inspiration for not only differently-abled people but for those talented athletes who are struggling in rural places as well,” said Mariyappan.
Mariyappan said, “I have never seen any biopic. I still haven’t even watched the Dhoni movie. In fact I haven’t seen a film since my performance in the Rio. Most of the people in my locality aren’t aware of the biopic yet. I’m eager to see how they react once they come to know about it.” Mariyappan stated that director Aishwaryaa discussed with him about his Paralympic journey a couple of months ago. “I told her everything I had faced in life till date. My mother spoke as well. The crew also spent a lot of time with my coach R Satyanarayana on various techniques and training methods. As of now, I’m supposed to meet her on January 5,” he added.
Satyanarayana said the movie would touch the hearts of the entire nation. “There are a lot of talented athletes like Mariyappan in the country. They need motivation and inspiration. I think this movie will touch the hearts of the people,” he added.
It is learnt that the cast for the movie hasn’t yet been confirmed. The pre-production work has begun. The movie is a bilingual in English and Tamil. However, they might decide in favour of doing in few other Indian languages. The dates for shooting are also not yet confirmed.