R. Balki reunites with Abhishek Bachchan for sports drama ‘Ghoomer’

Mumbai, Feb 23  ‘Ghoomer’, a film that celebrates the achievements of specially-abled sportsmen who have conquered their adversities, was announced on Wednesday.

The film directed by R. Balki (‘Cheeni Kum’, ‘Paa’ and ‘Pad Man’) stars Abhishek Bachchan, with whom Balki has earlier worked in ‘Paa’ and for the memorable mobile network advertisement with the tagline ‘What an idea, Sir ji!’.

The film is said to be inspired by the incredible achievement of Karoly Takacs, a Hungarian right hand shooter who won two Olympic Gold medals with his left hand after his right hand was seriously injured. Although not a biopic, the film salutes the achievements of sportsmen like Karoly, who don’t get bogged down by the challenges that life throws at them. Instead, they emerge victorious on the other end of their journey.

Speaking about the film, Balki said, “‘Ghoomer’ is a film that I’m excited about for many reasons. Firstly, the joy of working with Abhishek after ‘Paa’ and ‘what an idea, sir ji!’. Abhishek is one of the rare contemporary actors with depth that is normally associated with a traditional era.”

In addition, the film also stars Saiyami Kher and Shabana Azmi along with Angad Bedi, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and Ivanka Das.

Lauding Saiyami for her knack for sports, the director added, “Secondly, working with possibly the only actor in our industry who, besides being a good actor, is actually a real sports person, Saiyami Kher. You can’t cheat a sportsman with face replacements! Thirdly, the privilege of working with Shabana for the first time, and fourthly, the idea of doing a sports film that gives back a new idea to a traditional sport – almost spinning the sport on its head.”

‘Ghoomer’ features cinematography by Vishal Sinha, production design by Sandeep Sharad Ravade and music by Amit Trivedi. The film, co-produced by Hope Productions and Saraswati Entertainment, is based on a concept by Rahul Sengupta and is written by R Balki, Rahul Sengupta and Rishi Virmani.