“Everyone rejoices in winning but they need to appreciate the sacrifices and hardships faced by sportspersons during their struggle to win a medal,” said former shooter Moraad Ali Khan, who turned producer for a film titled Khwaabb that focuses on the dreams and aspirations of sportspersons.
Moraad, who won laurels for the country at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, appreciates the jubilation in the country over winning of six medals by the Indian contingent at London Olympics. But he feels that people need to understand what it takes to win a medal for the country. “Since I have been part of the Indian team for a decade, I know inside out what all goes through a sportsperson’s life. So the film is about a sportsperson’s journey from the moment he/she makes sports a career to finally representing the country at international events. The actors have gone through rigorous training for three months to ensure that their movements look authentic. There is a difference between jogging done by professionals and laymen.”
Moraad had a story idea which was developed into a comprehensive script by Arnab Mukherjee. He was present throughout the shooting schedule to ensure that sporting scenes were authentic. The film has been extensively shot in Delhi and some parts of it in Jamshedpur, Jalandhar, Faridabad and Dubai.
Though the film has been made against the backdrop of sports, it has elements like drama, romance and chemistry between two young actors – Navdeep Singh and Simer Motiani.
Moraad’s 23-year-old son Zaid, who honed his film-making skills at Central Film School in London, makes his directorial debut with this low-budget film.
It was a challenging task to produce this film because of budget constraints and other hiccups but Zaid believes he has succeeded in making a film which is an amalgamation of realistic cinema and entertainment, Moraad says, adding: “We have striven to make a commercially feasible project.”
The film has romance but not candyfloss romance normally seen in Bollywood productions.
Though Zaid was tempted to take sportspersons representing the country, he did not go ahead with it because he wished to highlight the chemistry between the lead pair.
“It was necessary to take actors. However, Navdeep was a national level tennis player before honing his acting skills from veteran theatre personality Barry John. But in the film he is playing an athlete because of the role’s requirement. He has done justice to his character. He had the physique to play this role and has also shown his emotional side. His co-actor Simer, who has modelled for television and prints advertisements, is playing a swimmer. The duo went through intensive training at Delhi’s stadiums and gyms.”
Though the film has been shot predominantly in Delhi highlighting the city’s sporting infrastructure, its technical aspects have been done completely in Mumbai.
“The film’s post production, including dubbing and sound recording, have been done in Mumbai. Even if I have to print my film I would have to go to Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad or Mumbai,” says Mr. Khan.
