The Indian women’s cricket team on Sunday made history in the Women’s World Cup against South Africa. They completed the long, incomplete journey to glory as Harmanpreet Kaur’s plucky side edged out South Africa by 52 runs in a thrilling final to lift their first ever Women’s World Cup title at the DY Patel Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
With the win, Harmanpreet’s side finally buried the ghosts of past sadness – the 2005 and 2017 finals – and handed India the long-awaited world title, a watershed moment for the game in the country. Several former women cricketers, such as Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj, also participated in the celebrations, deservedly, as they paved the way for promising players like Kaur and Jememia Rodrigues.
Since cinema is a reflection of society and what happens there, it is high time that Indian cinema also catches up and releases a biopic on a woman cricketer. While we had already seen Srijit Mukherjee’s Shabaas Mithu (2022), in which Taapsee Pannu played Mithali Raj, it turned out to be a major disaster at the box office, managing to earn just Rs 2.89 crore, less than a tenth of its budget of Rs 48 crore.
Another biopic on the famous cricketer was supposed to be released the following year in October 2023, but has yet to see the light of day. Chakda’ Xpress, directed by Prosit Roy and produced by Karnesh Sharma’s Clean Slate Filmz, stars his sister Anushka Sharma as Jhulan Goswami. In fact, the film has finished shooting, but has been waiting for an update on its progress for two years.
What happened?
The making of Chakda’ Xpress has been fraught with hurdles since its debut in 2019. After actor-writer Abhishek Banerjee completed the first draft of the film, it was supposed to go on floors in 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, causing production delays. After Anushka announced her pregnancy during the pandemic, one of the producers withdrew from the project.
However, after the success of their first original collaboration, Anvita Dutt’s horror film Bulbbul, Netflix India and Clean Slate Filmz have decided to collaborate together for Chakda’ Xpress. Anushka even trained with Jhulan Goswami, and pictures of her shooting for the biopic were leaked online. Filming was completed within six months, from June through December 2022.
Netflix India even announced that Chakda’ While the exact official reason has not been revealed by either party, sources say it has more to do with creative lines than logistics. Now, Clean Slate Filmz will have to buy Chakda’ Xpress if it wants to release it, as Netflix India has not shared any update on the film’s progress yet.
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Why is Gulan Goswami’s Biography Important?
The Chakda ‘Xpress is more relevant now than ever, following the Indian women’s cricket team’s historic win in the World Cup. Goswami, 42, is considered one of the fastest bowlers in cricket. She holds the record for taking the most wickets (255) in women’s one-day international cricket.
Born in the small town of Chakdaha in West Bengal, she traveled to Kolkata to practice the sport as there were no cricketing facilities in her hometown. She captained the Indian women’s cricket team from 2008 to 2011. She was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2010 and became the second woman cricketer to receive the Padma Shri. After retiring from international cricket, Goswami now works as a mentor for Bengal and bowling coach for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
Also Read – Anushka Sharma reveals she has been taking batting tips from Virat Kohli to Chakda Xpress: “We discuss the progress she has made…”
Even in the world of cinema, Chakda ‘Xpress holds great significance. If released, it will mark Anushka Sharma’s return to the big screen seven years after her last role in Aanand L Rai’s Zero in 2018. It will be interesting to watch Anushka in action on the cricket field, as she is often seen cheering on her husband and famous cricketer Virat Kohli in major matches.
(Tags for translation)Chakda Express
