While
biopics
are
still
in
vogue,
make
way
for
another
one!
Farhan
Akhtar
and
Ritesh
Sidhwani
are
all
set
to
produce
a
biopic
on
Deepa
Malik,
India's
first
and
only
woman
to
win
a
medal
at
the
Paralympic
Games.
When
Ritesh
Sidhwani's
script
developing
team
chanced
upon
the
story
of
Deepa
Malik
and
later
shared
her
story
with
him,
it
left
him
stupefied
and
he
set
a
meeting
with
her.
Initially,
it
was
a
30-minute
interaction
which
later
turned
into
five-hour
discussion.
Ritesh
Sidhwani
who
is
producing
Deepa's
biopic
with
partner
Farhan
Akhtar
under
their
banner
Excel
Entertainment
shared,"I
had
watched
videos
of
her
and
knew
that
her
life
story
was
unreal,
but
when
I
met
her
and
she
let
me
hold
her
medal,
the
sheer
weight
of
the
silver
gave
me
gooseflesh.
At
one
point
in
her
life,
she
had
to
choose
between
death
and
life
in
a
wheelchair
and
she
chose
the
latter.
But
as
she
sat
in
front
of
me,
there
was
nothing
differently-abled
about
her.
She
was
empowering,
a
pillar
of
strength,
and
I
knew
that
we
needed
to
take
her
fight
to
the
big
screen"
The
film
is
expected
to
go
on
floor
early
next
year.
The
process
of
documenting
Deepa's
journey,
putting
everyone
on
record
has
already
begun.
The
casting
has
not
begun
but
as
the
ace
producer
says
that
it
will
be
a
career-defining
role
for
any
actress
as
it's
not
only
about
an
athlete,
but
also
the
person
she
is
today.
He
further
added,
"It
will
also
feature
her
children
and
husband
and
most
definitely
her
hometown
Haryana,
her
present
home
in
Delhi
and
her
win
in
Rio
De
Janeiro,
among
other
places."
Deepa
Malik
who
is
46
now
and
a
mother
of
two
girls
had
suffered
from
a
tremendous
backache
during
her
second
pregnancy
20
years
ago.
The
doctors
then
blamed
it
on
the
weight
gain,
but
even
though
she
had
a
normal
delivery,
the
pain
increased
and
got
so
bad
that
she
couldn't
bend
to
lift
her
baby.
Soon
afterward,
a
tumour
was
detected
in
her
spinal
column
which
had
to
be
operated
upon
immediately.
The
choice
was
between
spinal
paralysis
and
death.
Cavalier
Colonel
Bikram
Singh,
Deepa's
husband
was
away
in
Kargil
when
she
shot
163
stitches
between
her
shoulder
blades.
And
while
she
was
warned
that
there
would
be
some
loss
of
movement
post-surgery,
her
spinal
cord
was
so
damaged
that
she
was
rendered
paralyzed
from
the
chest
down.
Unfazed
the
brave
Deepa
Malik
overcame
a
spinal
tumour,
31
surgeries
and
183
stitches
at
26
and
went
on
to
become
a
state-level
cricketer
for
Rajasthan
despite
paralytic
shocks
that
had
persisted
since
age
eight.
A
marveled,
Ritesh
Sidhwani
further
shared,
"In
2006,
she
took
to
javelin
throw
and
then
had
to
change
her
sport
one
year
before
the
Paralympics.
For
an
event
for
which
people
train
their
entire
lives,
she
had
only
12
months
to
learn
shot
put.
She
returned
home
with
a
silver
medal
in
Rio" who
has
bagged
54
gold
medals
at
the
national
level
and
13
at
the
international
level
in
swimming,
javelin
throw
and
shot
put."
Deepa
Malik
has
also
won
accolades
for
her
participation
in
various
adventure
sports,
the
first
Indian
to
receive
a
license
for
'invalid
and
modified'
rally
vehicle
after
pursuing
the
authorities
in
Maharashtra
for
19
months.
Deepa
today
is
associated
with
the
Himalayan
Motorsports
Association
and
Federation
of
Motor
Sports
Clubs
of
India,
undertaking
an
eight-day,
Raid
De
Himalaya
trip,
including
a
1700-km
drive
in
sub-zero
temperatures
and
an
18000-feet
ascent.
She
was
honoured
with
the
Arjuna
Award
in
2012.
Well,
it
would
be
quite
interesting
to
watch
her
life
story
unfold
on
the
big
screen.
Meanwhile
folks,
which
actress
do
you
think
would
be
an
apt
choice
to
play
Deepa
on-screen?