Shahid Kapoor is turning producer with his next film, a biopic on former-boxer Dingko Singh. The actor, who is currently working on the Hindi remake of Arjun Reddy (titled Kabir Singh), will co-produce and star in the film that will be directed by Raja Krishna Menon (of Airlift and Chef fame). Dingko Singh was one of India’s earliest boxing champions after he won gold at the 1998 Asian Games, who inspired a whole generation of boxers from his home-state Manipur, including boxing superstar MC Mary Kom.
Singh’s life is filled with twists and turns, where he spent a part of his childhood in an orphanage. Then there’s the phase of his life, where he was even briefly involved in the Naxalite movement. After which, Dingko Singh turned his focus to boxing, where he represented India at the 1997 King’s Cup in Bangkok. Singh’s boxing career peaked with his Gold medal at the 1998 Asian Games held in Thailand, as a 19-year-old. Unlike today’s Vijender Singh, Djinko Singh didn’t turn pro and instead chose to accept a rank in the Indian Navy.
His biggest bout was yet to come, when he was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in 2017. Struggling with his finances, Singh had to sell his house to pay for the expensive medical treatment. Reading about his plight, Singh got a generous donation from cricketer Gautam Gambhir. Speaking to Times Of India as recently as last month, Singh confirmed that his health condition was now stable and he was on medication.
This remarkable life story will be brought to the screen with Shahid Kapoor (hopefully) transforming into a boxer. Raja Krishna Menon is looking to bounce back from the commercial failure of Chef, that starred Saif Ali Khan. Priyanka Chopra had earlier ruffled many feathers by starring in MC Mary Kom’s biopic, where many outraged over why a Manipuri girl wasn’t playing the lead in the film. The conversation stopped after Chopra’s film became a hit. Will it be asked once Shahid Kapoor’s film is closer to release? We’ll have to wait and watch.
The biopic is still in the scripting stage and is likely to go on the floors, later this year. Can this film overturn Bollywood’s curse of hagiographic biopics? Shahid Kapoor is currently wrapping the Kabir Singh shoot with Kiara Advani, which is scheduled for release on June 21.
