Ahead of the 116th birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand, the makers of a documentary film on the hockey legend, on Saturday, unveiled the first look of the documentary. Producer and entrepreneur Joyeeta Roy and Prateek Kumar Mishra are developing the docudrama.
It focuses on the early life and struggles of the hockey wizard.
The first poster for the documentary is titled “Major Dhyan Chand”.
The poster shows Chand overlooking the Hockey Stadium of the Olympics and practicing hockey barefoot on the railway tracks in the foreground.
Joyeeta said that she is saddened by the fact that India’s youth do not know about the Olympian’s legacy
“Black and White colour combination has been used in the poster to signify the conflicting facts and truths that we want to bring out through this docudrama and questions about the legend and our national game hockey to the audience,” news agency PTI quoted Joyeeta as saying.
“It’s highly saddening that a lot of facts about the legend aren’t known to the youth of today! I have even heard amazing and inspiring stories of the legend practicing hockey on the railway tracks,” she said in a statement.
Mishra, on the other hand, said, “Major Dhyan Chand” is not a biopic of the legendary player.
“It’s going to be a documentation of the emotions and inspiration revolving around the Indian tricolour, hockey and the hockey wizard! A lot of questions need clarification,” he said.
“This docudrama is to demand an answer and inspire the youth to carry the legacy of the legend ahead,” he added.
The docudrama is slated to release on December 3, on the 42nd death anniversary of the legend.
Dhyan Chand is widely regarded as the greatest player in Indian hockey. He is the winner of three Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. He played internationally from 1926 to 1949 and scored 570 goals in 185 matches.
Dhyan Chand was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 1956. His birthday is celebrated as National Sports Day in India every year.
Earlier this month, the government renamed the country’s highest sporting honour Khel Ratna as the “Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna”.