29 April,2024 08:31 AM IST | Mumbai | Hiren Kotwani
Jayprad Desai
A story about cricket is bound to grab eyeballs. So, one can only imagine the interest when it involves a cricket con. Even as Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba is being readied for an OTT release, director Jayprad Desai has moved on to his next. The yet-untitled movie will offer a retelling of the fake Indian Premier League (IPL) scam in 2022.
Weeks after the IPL 2022 edition concluded, a group of unemployed youth in Molipur village in Gujarat staged a fake tournament to attract gamblers. With a group of labourers masquerading as players, stand-ins for umpires and a Harsha Bhogle mimic offering commentary, the group streamed matches on YouTube for two weeks. They managed to dupe some Russians - located in Tver, Voronezh and Moscow - who would bet on the matches. The fake tournament played out till the quarter-final before the group was caught by the cops.
A source says, "The film is inspired by Faraz Ahsan's book, First Copy. In addition, Jayprad and his writers Hussain and Abbas Dalal have researched extensively to develop the screenplay." The cast and locations will be finalised in the coming weeks. A chunk of the movie will be shot in Mumbai and Gujarat.
