Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has his eyes set on the UAE and is scouting for locations for his new Hindi production, Sindhu, an eponymous biopic about Indian badminton player P.V. Sindhu. The young sporting sensation was the first Indian to get a silver medal at the Olympics last year.
“We are planning to shoot my film in India and in countries like Dubai… I was looking at iconic locations like the Burj Khalifa, the Al Qudra cycling track and other places too,” said Sood in an exclusive interview with Gulf News tabloid! at The Westin Dubai, Al Habtoor City.
His biopic will chronicle Sindhu’s ascend to the top. According to sporting folklore, Sindhu used to travel 50km from her home to the training camp to perfect her skills and is now a celebrated player who travels around the world for her matches.
Dubai will be dressed up as one of the foreign cities where a badminton tournament is being held. Sood is also on the look out for a suitable training academy that can be featured in the film. He plans to film in Dubai for at least four days.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Sood has chosen the UAE as one of the filming destinations.
He isn’t an unfamiliar figure in the UAE and his work has brought him to the UAE on several occasions over the last few years.
He filmed with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on an extensive schedule for director Farah Khan’s blockbuster Happy New Year and also spent more than a month with Jackie Chan filming for his adventure comedy, Kung Fu Yoga, recently. He also worked on the celebrated Ali Mostafa’s homegrown feature, City of Life, in which he played an Indian cab driver plying the UAE roads, a reflection of the immigrant experience.
“Dubai is one of my favourite cities in the world and I feel it’s like home away from home. With its mix of nationalities and support that we receive from the government, filming here as a producer makes a lot of sense. Everything is very convenient here for a filmmaker.”
A scene where a few badminton players will be exploring Dubai as a tourist destination may also feature in his film, Sindhu.
Sood and his team are already in talks with several Bollywood A-listers to play the title role. Names such as Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma are in the running.
“It’s too early to reveal who’s playing the lead, but the film is in its scripting stages and is turning out really well.”
Sood is particular about a water-tight script and has changed several screenwriters in his quest for that perfect story. He has earlier co-produced Tutak Tutak Tutiya in 2016 and enjoys the process.
“When you realise that you have 200 or 300 people relying on you to function, it is daunting and exciting. They have so many questions and a producer needs to have those answers. The process is engaging and it’s a huge challenge,” said Sood.
The budget is yet to be finalised and depends on the star who is finally cast in the title role.
