In the midst of World Cup season lands the trailer for Abhinay Deo’s cricket docudrama Doosra. The film, which is yet to set a release date, relives the iconic moment when captain Sourav Ganguly took off his shirt and waved it in the air to celebrate India’s win against England in the finals of the NatWest series at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on July 13, 2002.
In Doosra, that milestone is described as “India’s other freedom struggle”, a moment of emotional liberation after a hard-fought victory against its erstwhile colonisers. The film relives that jubilation through the eyes of a girl from a orthodox family, whose struggles against social prejudices run parallel to India’s battle on the cricket field, according to the official synopsis.
In the trailer, shots of the protagonist are interwoven with footage from the 2002 match and interviews of cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and more on what that match meant for India.
The cast of Doosra includes Plabita Borthakur, Ankur Vikal, Samidha Guru and Tvisha Seema. The story and screenplay are by adman Agnello Dias.
Another cricket drama on the anvil is Kabir Khan’s 83, which relives India’s 1983 World Cup victory and will be out next year.
Deo’s credits include Delhi Belly (2011) and Blackmail (2018).