Badminton guru Pullela Gopichand's biopic announced on his birthday

Pullela Gopichand (PTI)

Mumbai: A biopic on former badminton player and chief national coach Pullela Gopichand was announced on his birthday on Thursday. Fox Star Studios in collaboration with Abundantia Entertainment is set to present the biopic. 

The film, in Hindi and Telugu, will chronicle Gopichand's exciting journey on and off the court. 

Born in 1973 in Andhra Pradesh, Gopichand, whose first love was cricket during his growing-up years, rose to become one of the top badminton players in the country and won the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001. 

He retired in 2003 and opened country's premier badminton institution - Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad. 

The sports academy has produced a few of the country's leading badminton players such as Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth . 

"Badminton is at an inflection point in our country and nothing delights me more than to see the rapidly growing interest in the sport, especially with the youth. I would be proud if by sharing my story as a film, we can encourage more and more people to pursue their dreams. I am excited with the developments on the film," Gopichand said in a statement. 

The scripting of the film is underway and the shoot will commence in mid-2018.