After Chanakya, Ajay Devgn signs a biopic on football coach Syed Abdul Rahim

Hours after giving his nod to filmmaker Neeraj Pandey’s movie on Chanakya, superstar Ajay Devgn has signed yet another biopic based on the life of legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim.

Not many people know but it was Syed Abdul Rahim who helped India win a gold at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. Regarded as the architect of modern Indian football, Rahim took the Indian football team to new heights during his tenure.

Amit Sharma, who recently wrapped up Badhaai Ho with Ayushmann Khurrana and Sanya Malhotra, has been roped in to direct the biopic. The project will be jointly financed by Zee Studios, Boney Kapoor, Akash Chawla and Joy Sengupta.

Zee Studios announced the movie on their Twitter handle, “Elated and proud to announce a story never told as @ZeeStudios_ #BoneyKapoor & @freshlimefilms come together for a biopic on India’s legendary #Football coach, Syed Abdul Rahim, starring @ajaydevgn,  directed by @CinemaPuraDesi, screenplay by @SaiwynQ, and dialogues by @writish,” read the tweet.

Boney Kapoor also confirmed the news, saying, “When my partners Akash and Joy brought me the true-life story of Syed Abdul Rahim, I was surprised to learn that not many are even aware of this unsung hero and the achievements of India’s great team which had heroes like Chunni Goswami, PK Banerjee, Balaram, Franco, Arun Ghosh and many others. With Khelo India picking up momentum, the time is right to push India. We hope that the film inspires millions of youngsters and that one day soon, India becomes a potent force in World Football and plays in the World Cup.”

The film is expected to begin production in mid-2019.