Bollywood actor John Abraham, who is a football enthusiast and owns NorthEast United FC as well, has been keen to make a film on the iconic 1911 football match that marked a defining moment in the country’s freedom struggle. Now after over five years of living the dream to bring the historic match on the celluloid, John has finally joined hands with filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, who he has previously worked with in Satyamev Jayate.

Confirming the news to a leading daily, Nikkhil stated, "It’s John’s pet project. His face lights up whenever he narrates the story, which he knows backwards." Further revealing that John had offered him 1911 even before he approached him with Batla House, he pointed out they were working on the script during the filming of Satyamev Jayate itself.

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Reportedly, the film is expected to roll in November 2019 and will be shot in Kolkata over the next three months. Targeting a mid-2020 release, John and Nikkhil will be collaborating with Bhushan Kumar, with whom they recently signed a six-film deal.

John Abraham with Bhushan Kumar (L) and Nikkhil Advani (R)

For the unversed, the historic 1911 match "wasn’t just a sporting victory, the match broke the myth that the British were unbeatable". Talking about it, an excited John told the daily, "I believe football is the new cricket today and this film will make the sport palatable to the masses. What makes 1911 special is that it is not just about the players or even the game, it’s also about India’s freedom struggle... Like with Parmanu, the idea is to educate in an entertaining way, so viewers walk out saying, ‘Wow, I didn’t know this!'"

Isn't that fabulous?

On the work front, John is currently busy shooting in Lucknow for another true-life drama based on the 2008 Batla House encounter.