The Indian women’s cricket team made history by winning their first ICC Women’s World Cup, defeating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Harmanpreet’s team secured a historic victory, overcoming previous finals disappointments from 2005 and 2017, and achieved India’s long-awaited World title, marking a significant moment for women’s cricket in the country. Celebrations included former players like Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj, who have inspired current talents such as Kaur and Jemimiah Rodrigues
Hindi cinema should produce more biopics on women cricketers, as it reflects societal changes. The film “Shabaas Mithu” (2022), featuring Taapsee Pannu as Mithali Raj, exemplifies this need, but it underperformed at the box office, earning only Rs 2.89 crore against a budget of Rs 48 crore.
Another biopic about iconic woman cricket player Jhulan Goswami, titled Chakda ‘Xpress, directed by Prosit Roy and produced by Clean Slate Filmz, has not been released as expected in October 2023. Starring Anushka Sharma, the film has completed shooting but has faced delays and is awaiting updates on its progress.
The production of Chakda ‘Xpress has faced numerous challenges since it began in 2019, including delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a producer withdrawing after Anushka announced her pregnancy.
Netflix India and Clean Slate Filmz partnered again after the success of Bulbbul, this time on the biopic Chakda ‘Xpress, featuring Anushka Sharma, who trained with cricketer Jhulan Goswami. Filming took place from June to December 2022.
Netflix India announced the release of Chakda ‘Xpress in October 2023. However, a fallout between Netflix India and Clean Slate Filmz led to the termination of their four-year deal, reportedly due to creative differences. As a result, Clean Slate Filmz must buy out Chakda ‘Xpress to proceed with its release, as Netflix India has not provided any updates on the film’s progress.
Chakda ‘Xpress, a record-breaking 42-year-old Indian cricketer, holds the record for the most wickets in Women’s One Day International cricket, following the team’s historic World Cup victory.
Born in Chakdaha, West Bengal, Goswami played cricket in Kolkata and captained the Indian women’s team from 2008-2011. She received the Arjuna Award in 2010 and became the second woman Padma Shri.
Chakda ‘Xpress, set to release in cinema, marks Anushka Sharma’s return to the big screen after seven years, and her recent support for cricketer Virat Kohli.
