Parineeti Chopra's Saina biopic OTT-bound?

Parineeti Chopra

The makers of The Girl on the Train recently announced that the Parineeti Chopra-starrer will premiere on Netflix. Now, looks like a second OTT release is in the offing for the actor. Buzz in trade circles is that Saina, the Amole Gupte-directed biopic on former world No 1 badminton player Saina Nehwal, may take the digital route.

Saina Nehwal

A trade source reveals, "Saina was slated to hit theatres last summer, but the plans came to a halt because of the pandemic. Now, the makers have again begun discussions about its release. Considering theatres are functioning at 50 per cent occupancy, they are considering an OTT release. A final call has yet to be taken."
Shubhrajyoti Barat, who plays the sports star's father Harvir Singh Nehwal, says, "The video-streaming platforms are an effective option. That said, these decisions are best left to the producers. The film may release in the next few months. Personally, I would love to see Saina in theatres."

Barat

If Chopra picked up badminton and prepped extensively to do justice to her role as Nehwal, the supporting cast too met their real-life counterparts. "We interacted with Saina and her parents. Her mother [Usha Rani] narrated how she would drive 25 kilometres at 5 am to take the then-young Saina to badminton classes."

mid-day reached out to Gupte about the film's digital premiere, but he remained unavailable for comment.