Neeraj Chopra, India’s javelin silver medallist, has chosen Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan to play Pakistani Olympic record-holder Arshad Nadeem in a potential biopic.
Despite their rivalry on the field, Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra share a close friendship and mutual respect off it. The two athletes have consistently praised each other in interviews.
At the recently concluded Paris 2024 Olympics, Arshad Nadeem made history by winning the gold medal with a record-breaking 92.97-metre throw in the javelin event. Neeraj Chopra secured the silver medal.
During a post-medal ceremony interview, Neeraj Chopra was asked who he would cast in a film about Arshad Nadeem’s life. He promptly suggested Amitabh Bachchan, citing the actor’s height as a good match for Arshad’s.
Neeraj added that if the biopic were made in India, Bachchan could have played Arshad in his younger days.
When the conversation turned to Neeraj Chopra’s own potential biopic, Arshad Nadeem expressed that he would choose Bollywood’s Shah Rukh Khan to portray Neeraj.
It’s worth noting that Pakistan’s last Olympic medal was a bronze in men’s hockey on 8 August 1992, and the last gold came in 1984, also in hockey.
