Rajkummar Rao To Play Sourav Ganguly In Biopic As Dada Opens Up On Kohli, Kumble, And Laxman
With his cinematic story finally hitting the big screen, Ganguly gets raw about career regrets, cricket politics, and old dressing room wounds

Mumbai, June 25: The Dada is heading to the big screen — and yes, the shirt is definitely coming off at Lord’s. After years of swirling speculation and casting gossip, Rajkummar Rao has officially confirmed he’ll be playing Sourav Ganguly in the much-awaited biopic. Cue a nationwide sigh of relief (and a few raised eyebrows).
The actor broke the news calling it “a huge responsibility,” and honestly, it is. Rao’s got the acting chops — no one’s debating that — but stepping into the shoes of one of Indian cricket’s most layered, lion-hearted leaders? That’s no cakewalk. It’s not just about the cover drives and captain’s armband. It’s about embodying a man who once ripped off his shirt on an English balcony and rewrote the Indian cricketing psyche.
From Lord’s to Laxman: The Dada Diaries Are Getting Real
If Rao’s getting into character, he has no shortage of fresh material this week. In a series of candid interviews, Ganguly has been… well, peak Ganguly — blunt, introspective, and full of locker room lore.
Let’s start with the soft serve: Dada says he regrets dropping Anil Kumble back in the day. “He was a champion,” he told PTI, admitting the decisions still sting. That one’s bound to spark a fresh round of ‘what if’ debates on cricket Twitter.
He also got real about all the centuries he never scored — the ones that stopped in the 80s and 90s. “I missed a lot of hundreds,” he sighed. (We feel that, Dada. The 90s were full of heartbreak, in more ways than one.)
And then came the one that hit straight through the nostalgia nerve: the VVS Laxman fallout. Apparently, Laxman didn’t speak to Ganguly for three months after being dropped from the 2003 World Cup squad. “It was never personal,” Dada said. Oof. If that storyline doesn’t make it into the film, what are we even doing here?
The Kohli Bombshell: Test Retirement Was All Virat
Of course, it wouldn’t be Ganguly without at least one backstage bombshell. This week, he also dropped a clear-as-day confirmation that Virat Kohli’s Test retirement was entirely his own decision. The BCCI actually tried to talk him out of it.
“Virat felt it was time to go,” Ganguly told Hindustan Times, shutting down months of shadow-boxing and WhatsApp-fueled speculation. Whether you believe that or not depends on how spicy you like your cricket politics.
Jay Shah Praise? Didn’t See That Coming
And just when you think you’ve got his beat figured out, Ganguly turns around and praises Jay Shah — yes, that Jay Shah — for being honest and wanting to “do things properly” for Indian cricket. Coming from a man who left the BCCI presidency under less-than-warm circumstances, that’s… something.
Maybe it’s grace, maybe it’s diplomacy. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s Ganguly playing the long game again.
A Biopic With Real Bite
All of this — the regrets, the rivalries, the rogue brilliance — is what makes a Ganguly biopic worth making. This isn’t a story of polished heroism; it’s about swagger, scars, and showing up when no one else will.
And Rao, known for disappearing into roles, seems hungry to do it justice. “I’m nervous,” he admitted to Bollywood Hungama. “But excited.” We’re betting there’s already a montage scene being storyboarded where Dada storms into the dressing room and tells his team to stop being polite and start believing.
If they nail it, this could be more than just a sports drama. It could be a vibe — a reminder of a time when Indian cricket found its roar. Shirtless, defiant, and unapologetically Ganguly.
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Ankit Tiwari is a Reporting Fellow at Hindustan Herald, dedicated to bringing readers comprehensive daily coverage of the world of sports. A student at Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, Ankit combines his academic pursuit with a deep understanding of various sports, from major international tournaments to emerging local talent. His daily reporting aims to capture the excitement, strategy, and human stories that define athletic competition.