Actor Rajkummar Rao, who will be playing former India captain Sourav Ganguli in the film Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story, got a glimpse of the Ganguly home's Durga Puja celebrations as the latter hosted the actor and producer Ankur Garg at his Kolkata residence. The three were spotted visiting pandals at Maddox Square and Allen Park. The Maha Ashtami outing on October 19 began with prayers at the Ganguly family's Puja. Rao said he was delighted to be in Kolkata during the festival and spoke warmly about the city and its people, PTI reported.
The meeting brought Ganguly together with the actor playing him in the upcoming biopic, which is being directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and produced by Luv Ranjan and Garg. The movie is scheduled to hit cinemas worldwide on May 14, 2027. The project is being made under Luv Films banner and presented by T-Series and DBL.
Rajkummar Rao has spent considerable time in Kolkata for the film. In an interview with Mashable India, Rao spoke about shooting at Ganguly's residence and Eden Gardens. "We shot at his house as well. We also shot at Eden Gardens," Rao was quoted as saying.
Rao said the conversations helped him understand Ganguly beyond his public life as a cricketer. He described the former captain as "open" about sharing his experiences and indicated that the film would explore difficult stretches in Ganguly's career and how he dealt with them.
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The movie's first poster was unveiled on Ganguly's birthday July 8, along with its release date. It showed Rao recreating the cricketer's jersey-waving celebration at the Lord's balcony after India's victory over England in the 2002 NatWest Series final.
Meanwhile, Ganguly took on a new professional assignment this month, with Delhi Capitals announcing his appointment as head coach on October 6, ahead of the 2027 Indian Premier League season.
His association with the franchise dates to 2019, when he joined as the team an adviser. He subsequently held director-of-cricket responsibilities within the Capitals' organisation, including working with its men's and women's teams.
"I am looking forward to working with the squad, the new season, and building a strong and fearless team," Ganguly said when the franchise made the announcement.
For Rao, the Kolkata visit came just days after the October 16 release of Prahaar, directed by Avinash Arun. He plays public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam in the courtroom drama, which examines the prosecution of Ajmal Kasab following the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Lalit Prabhakar plays Kasab in the film.
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