Satnam Singh is, arguably, figuratively and literally, the biggest name in Indian basketball. Raised in a nondescript village in Punjab, the young man grew to be a 7-footed beast with tantalising basketball potential, won a scholarship in one of the world's finest sports academies, and eventually, made history by becoming the first Indian to be drafted in the NBA, the world's finest basketball league. Although he never played for the NBA, Satnam played pro in the G-League and in Canada, and the 24-year-old continues to represent the Indian national team.
His incredible story, right up to the point of the night he was drafted, was documented by Roman Gackowski's memorable Netflix documentary
One in a Billion in 2016. Now, for the first time, Satnam's journey will be told in fictionalised motion picture, the first-ever basketball biopic in India.
Production company
Zee Studios recently announced that they will produce an original digital film based on the inspirational journey of Satnam Singh. The film will be available to be streamed "soon" (no confirmation date given yet) on their on-demand streaming platform, Zee5.
"In our country where basketball has miles to go before it enjoys the same kind of popularity cricket does, it's time we encourage other sports" said Ashima Avasthi, Head and VP, Zee Studios Originals. "Satnam Singh's extremely difficult yet heart-warming journey needs to be told and celebrated. We are excited to work with him on this film! With the explosion of digital content consumption in India, there's a huge market for digital first content, both films and web shows. We are working towards producing a mixed portfolio of premium digital content—web shows and films—across languages and genres for all digital platforms."
Aparna Acharekar, Programming Head, ZEE5 India said: "We are constantly on the lookout for engaging content that our audiences will enjoy and appreciate. This is a special film that we are creating with Zee Studios. An inspiring story that talks about the talented basketball player Satnam Singh's journey, hustle, struggle and triumphs."
Satnam is rumoured to be assisting with the development of the film. There has been no information released yet about the director or cast of the movie. Casting the big man himself will, of course, be a challenge: Satnam is 7-foot-2 and 130 kgs, with a very specific body type and international level basketball skills. It is difficult enough to find actors to play-act athletic capabilities of sports-persons; but in Satnam's case, the physical dimensions are going to be yet another challenge.
"It feels unreal that a film is being made on me!" said Satnam, regarding the news. "As a sportsman, I have always loved films based on sports, and I feel honoured that this film is my story. What excites me most is that this is a basketball film, the first of its kind. I hope that the film will boost the game and more kids will want to try it out. There is huge potential for the game to grow in India if only more people come out in support of it."
Sports biopics in India are a lucrative business. As a matter of fact - outside of cricket, of course - films about Indian sports end up performing much better in the eyes of the common public than the sports themselves. The formula has been devised and repeated for films like
Dangal,
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag,
Mary Kom,
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story,
Paan Singh Tomar,
Azhar, and many more in recent years. With the arrival of streaming entertainment, the options of sporting stories in cinema will get its inevitable boost.
This is of course, exciting news for Indian hoops for Satnam to join (in a smaller, digital way) the ranks of other great Indian athletes with biopics. The film will be facing the challenge of following up the excellent
One in a Billion, which followed Satnam to his village, to the IMG Academy, to NBA trials, and to the draft, and featured interviews with several luminaries involved with the game including Mark Cuban, Vivek Ranadive, and Adam Silver. I was honoured to be featured in the film, too, relaying my experiences of observing Satnam's journey from close quarters over the years.
I fear that, unless somehow perfectly cast, the issue of size and imitable skills in whatever actor cast to play Satnam will prove to be a major hindrance for the upcoming biopic. Beyond that, I hope that the writers and director ensure to get the basketball background information correct for his film, along with Satnam's intriguing off-court struggles and successes.
