'Bollywood film 'Victory' aimed at cricket-mad South Asia'

Colombo, Feb 1 (IANS) Bollywood film "Victory", based on cricket and featuring many cricketing greats, is expected to do well in South Asia where the game is a passion and an obsession, says a Sri Lankan producer.

Chandran Rutnam, who handled the Colombo leg of the shooting and is in-charge of marketing of the movie in Sri Lanka, told IANS: "We hope to get the main market of the South Asian region, where cricket is a passion, obsession and a religion."

He said the film would be released all over the world with English subtitles.

The film had its grand global premiere in Colombo Friday, a day before the second one-day encounter between the visiting Indian and host Sri Lankan cricket teams.

"Victory", directed by Ajitpal Mangat, stars budding Bollywood actors Harman Baweja, Amrita Rao and Gulshan Grover. It was released at the Regal cinema hall, Colombo.

The film combines genuine on-field sporting action with international cricket stars.

"Shot in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Australia, the movie is aimed at all the cricket lovers in the world. It is about a young village boy who wants to be a cricketer and the travails, stimulations and the problems he faces to become a cricketer and after becoming a legend," Rutnam told IANS.

Rutnam described the film as a "nice fairly tale about a cricketer in India featuring over 40 international cricket stars, including Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Harbhajan Singh, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Kartik, Brett Lee, Mike Hussey, Graeme Smith and Shoaib Malik, to name a few".

The film, based on current happenings from the world of Indian cricket, portrays the challenges and dilemmas that almost every aspirant for the Indian cricket team faces and had to undergo.

A special screening is being held exclusively for the Indian and Sri Lankan cricketers who are in town for the ongoing five ODI series, he said.

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