Haseena Parkar actor Shraddha Kapoor will be seen as the Indian ace shuttler Saina Nehwal in a biopic film based on the player. The actress said that it is a huge responsibility to represent Saina Nehwal on the big screen.

Shraddha said, “Saina is the country’s sweetheart, a champion and a youth icon. It’s a challenging role for an actor as it requires an immense amount of transformation.”

The biopic, titled Saina, will be directed by Amol Gupte, who has helmed movies such as Stanley Ka Dabba and Hawa Hawaai. The film went on floors last week.

The 31-year-old actor said she has been practising for the role for many months now and during the process, she came to realise how hard it was for Saina to achieve her success.

"I have already clocked 40 classes of badminton in preparation for this biopic. It's a really tough sport, but I am enjoying myself. To get an insight into the life of a sportsperson is fascinating. Saina's journey itself is so interesting right from her misses to her injuries and victories," Shraddha said in a statement.

"I can relate to her journey in a big way, because I have gone through similar experiences in a different field. Despite everything, she has not let her focus shift and that's what's truly inspiring," she added.

Today, the actor took to Instagram to share the first look of the film. Sharing the picture, Shraddha simply wrote: Saina. 

We must say, the actor looks quite similar to Saina Nehwal, sporting a red, white and blue t-shirt and dark blue skirt. Her hair is held back by a band and she holds a racquet in her hand. She’s flaunting the same aggression and enthusiasm which the badminton player demonstrates in the court.

In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, Amole Gupte talked about Shraddha and the movie in which he was working since 2015. He said, “Shraddha’s badminton training, part one of which is already over in terms of her understanding of Saina’s style on the court, her grip on the racket and the ground. Saina’s style is very different from her contemporaries and we have a research team that has closely watched every match played by her. Also, since Saina is from Hisar and her family continues to use the Haryanvi dialect in conversations with each other, we got Amitosh on board who was born in Haryana and has written the dialogue wherever the Haryanvi twang was required.” 

The actress was last seen in Batti Gul Meter Chalu which doomed at the box office. It stars Shahid Kapoor in a lead role. However, her previous venture Stree came out to be a blockbuster at the box office. It has successfully crossed the Rs 150 crore mark in three weeks.

(Inputs from PTI)