Dadagiri begins in December?

Ayushmann Khurrana, Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth and Sourav Ganguly

Who will play Sourav Ganguly on screen? That has been the big question since 2021 when the former Indian cricket captain announced the biopic. Speculation intensified earlier this year with Ayushmann Khurrana and Ranbir Kapoor said to be the frontrunners for the role. In May, mid-day reported that Khurrana would team up with director Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth for the biopic (Ayush to play Dada on screen, May 31). Now, it has been learnt that the actor-director duo will kick off the shoot in December.

Portraying one of India's most successful skippers won't come easy. The actor will have to train in various aspects - from replicating Ganguly's batting stance to perfecting his manner of hitting winners on the off-side. An advantage that Khurrana enjoys is that he is a left-handed batter like the former cricketer. A source reveals, "Ayushmann will begin training next month in Mumbai, giving him over two months to prep for the role before the project goes on floors in December." Ganguly, who is closely involved with the Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg production, is said to have already met the leading man. It's uncertain yet whether the first schedule will be shot in Mumbai or in the former cricketer's native city, Kolkata.

Khurrana and Garg remained unavailable for comment.