Published: May 11, 2016, 12:27 AM (IST)
Edited: May 11, 2016, 12:09 PM (IST)
New Delhi: Former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin, whose life’s lows and highs will be depicted with added drama in forthcoming film “Azhar”, says that he took a lot of convincing before the film went on floors. “I took a lot of convincing. When I read the script, I had to change a lot and the makers also agreed to the changes,” Azharuddin told reporters here at a press conference Tuesday for the film’s promotion. He denied reports which suggest that actress Sangeeta Bijlani who was also the cricketer’s former wife was apprehensive of her depiction in the film. ALSO READ: Mohammad Azharuddin working hard for on his biopic starring Emran Hashmi
“I don’t think so. Even I have read the reports but I don’t know how true are they,” he said. “Azhar” will narrate the highs and lows of Azharuddin’s life as the captain of the Indian cricket team for most of the 1990s, being tainted by a match-fixing scandal in 2000, and getting banned for life. Àctor Emraan Hashmi will be seen playing the titular role in the film, which also stars Prachi Desai, Nargis Fakhri, Lara Dutta among others. Directed by Tony D’Souza, “Azhar”, which is jointly produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and MSM Motion Pictures, is set to release on Friday.
Azharduddin, who was controversially involved in several match-fixing allegations, was deemed guilty and served a life ban from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC). His ban was later lifted by the BCCI, but the ICC continued to revoke the ban. He later became a politican and is a member of Indian National Congress, as well as a member of Indian Parliament for Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh.
