It's unfortunate that Dingko Singh's biopic couldn't be made: Director
(Sourced from PTI)
Director Raja Krishna Menon, who was set to direct a biopic on Asian Games gold medalist and former boxer Dingko Singh, mourned the athlete's death and said that he is saddened that a film couldn't be made on his life while he was still alive. Dingko passed away on Thursday after a long battle with liver cancer at the age of 42.
Menon, who has helmed Akshay Kumar's Airlift and Saif Ali Khan-starrer Chef, had announced the movie on the athlete's life in 2019. "It is unfortunate and terrible. I knew he was ill and suffering but I didn't know it was this bad. It is unfortunate that we couldn't make the film before, he could have seen it," Menon told PTI.
The biopic, which was planned with Shahid Kapoor as Dingko, has been put on hold. "The film got stuck. We will see what happens," Menon said, adding that Dingko was aware that the project was on hold.
Raja said, "He wanted the film to be made because he wanted the story to be told to inspire people. He was a pragmatic person. He never called me or asked why it was stuck." "This film needs to be made. It is a story that has to be told. It is a tremendous story and a tribute is due to him," he added.
The director said what drew him to make a film on Dingko was his fighting spirit. Raja said, "He is a source of inspiration for everyone. He came from a very poor family, grew up in an orphanage, he was a fighter and single-minded about what he did. He was a world-level sportsman without any facilities. He was different from anyone I had met."
A native of Manipur, Dingko won the gold at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok and was bestowed with the Arjuna award the same year. In 2013, he was honored with the Padma Shri award, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, for his contribution to the sport. Dingko, who was employed with the Navy, had taken to coaching after hanging up his gloves.
