Endemol Shine India and Planet Marathi are collaborating for a regional production of a sports biopic about the life of Indian long-distance runner Lalita Babar.
Bollywood and Marathi cinema actress, Amruta Khanvilkar has been roped in to play the titular role of the film. Hailing from a small village in Satara, Lalita Babar competes in the 3000 meters steeplechase and is the current Indian national record holder and the reigning Asian Champion.
Endemol Shine India will step into the regional cinema space for the first time with this film. On the other hand, Planet Marathi, a name behind spectacular Marathi productions, will produce its first ever biopic. Raising standards and putting the spotlight on Marathi cinema, Planet Marathi has given gems like magnum opus ‘Chandramukhi’, national award winning ‘Goshta Eka Paithanichi’ and ‘Pondicherry’ to name a few. With qualities like Endemol’s pan-India scale combined with Planet Marathi’s regional expertise, the collaboration of both entities adds an extra special touch to the production.
Akshay Bardapurkar, Producer and Founder, Planet Marathi shared his thoughts on the association “We are committed to the idea of telling disruptive stories that propel our industry to create a league of its own. The journey of Lalita Babar, which started from Satara, is a proud and epic moment for our Marathi community. It is important to note that though the story has a regional core, it has pan-India and global resonance. We are happy to give the project the scale it deserves in collaboration with Endemol Shine India, who share our sentiments for the film”
“We at Endemol Shine India are working aggressively to diversify our portfolio in the scripted space. We are moving towards creating a strong foothold with regional content and this Marathi film reinforces our commitment to deliver world class content.It is a compelling story of a contemporary sportsperson, a subject which can inspire more women in sports. Planet Marathi’s track record of portraying regional stories distinctively has been impeccable which makes them great partners in this journey we have embarked on” said Gaurav Gokhale, COO, Endemol Shine India.
The film is produced by Akshay Vilas Bardapurkar, Rishi Negi, Gaurav Gokhale, Ronita Mitra and the film is scheduled to release 1 year from now, i.e. on 26th January 2024.
