In September 2021, producers Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg announced a biopic on the life of former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly. The project has since remained a hot topic in the media, with various actors being speculated upon as potential leads. While the makers have been working closely with Ganguly to ensure an enthralling portrayal of his life on the big screen, they haven’t revealed any additional details about it, simply fueling further speculation. Nearly 21 months after the official announcement, the project seems to be finally picking up pace as it enters the pre-production stage following an extensive writing process.

Peepingmoon.com has exclusively learned that preparations have begun at Luv Films to start the Sourav Ganguly biopic by the end of this year. The makers have finished the scripting and have already initiated talks with a young Bollywood star to headline it. According to industry sources, the producers are in advanced talks with Ayushmann Khurrana for this mainstream sports biopic. “The makers have been discussing this film with Ayushmann for several months. The talks have now reached an advanced stage, and it’s only a matter of some formalities before he is officially signed on. They are confident that Ayushmann, who is also a left-handed batsman, is an ideal choice for Ganguly’s role. Dada, as he is fondly called, has also approved Ayushmann’s casting and will soon meet him personally. Ayushmann will undergo months of extensive cricket training before starting the shoot,” a source told us. The film was earlier speculated to star Ranbir Kapoor, but the Brahmastra actor had dismissed the reports in March, clarifying that he was not offered Ganguly’s biopic.

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While Ayushmann Khurrana is more or less finalized to step into the shoes of Sourav Ganguly, the makers are in talks with Tamil filmmaker Aishwarya Rajinikanth for direction. Lootera and Jubilee director Vikramaditya Motwane was earlier supposed to direct it, but the opportunity has now gone to Aishwarya after he turned it down for reasons unknown. Aishwarya is megastar Rajinikanth’s daughter and Dhanush’s ex-wife, and has previously directed Dhanush and Shruti Haasan’s romantic psychological thriller, 3 (2012), and Gautham Karthik’s black comedy, Vai Raja Vai (2015). She is currently finishing the post-production for her upcoming directorial, Laal Salaam, starring Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth, along with Rajinikanth in an extended cameo role. Aishwarya has also signed one more Hindi film, titled Oh Saathi Chal, for Jhund producer Meenu Arora’s banner, Cloud 9 Pictures. Described as an extraordinary true love story, the latter is expected to go on floors next year.

Meanwhile, Ayushmann Khurrana is gearing up for the release of Raaj Shaandilyaa’s Dream Girl 2, scheduled to release in cinemas on August 25. The comedy drama is a sequel to his 2019 superhit and boasts an ensemble cast, including Ananya Pandey, Paresh Rawal, Annu Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Joshi, Asrani, Abhishek Bannerjee, Seema Pahwa, and Manjot Singh. Ayushmann is also doing a horror-comedy film with Stree director Amar Kaushik; however, the shooting timelines for that haven’t been finalized yet. Stay tuned for more updates on the Sourav Ganguly biopic!