Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma is all set to make her comeback after three years with Chakda Xpress, a film based on the life of female Indian cricketer Jhulan Goswami. The movie will have an OTT release on Netflix.
Anushka calls Chakda Xpress a really special film because it "is essentially a story of tremendous sacrifice."
"Chakda Xpress is inspired by the life and times of former Indian captain Jhulan Goswami and it will be an eye-opener into the world of women's cricket. At a time when Jhulan decided to become a cricketer and make her country proud on the global stage, it was very tough for women to even think of playing the sport," she said.
Anushka shared that the film is a dramatic retelling of several instances that shaped her life and also women's cricket.
"From support systems, to facilities, to having a stable income from playing the game, to even having a future in cricket - very little propelled women of India to take up cricket as a profession. Jhulan had a fighting and extremely uncertain cricketing career and she stayed motivated to make her country proud. She strived to change the stereotype that women can't make a career out of playing cricket in India so that the next generation of girls had a better playing field (sic)," she asserts.
Anushka added that Jhulan's life is a living testimony that passion and perseverance triumphs over any or all adversities and Chakda Xpress is the most definitive look into the not so rosy world of women's cricket back then.
"As a woman, I was proud to hear Jhulan's story and it is an honour for me to try and bring her life to audiences and cricket lovers. As a cricketing nation, we have to give our women cricketers their due. Jhulan's story is truly an underdog story in the history of cricket in India and the film is our celebration of her spirit," she added.
irected by Prosit Roy, the film is being produced by Clean Slate Filmz, a joint venture between Anushka and her brother Karnesh Ssharma.