Mandira bedi and Eijaz khan in Meerabai not out

It must be frustrating to have a film remaining in the cans for so long...

What can be done? The film was ready before the ICC Cricket World Cup in April 2007. But when India couldn’t even make it to the Super 8, there was no point releasing a film about cricket then. Then we kept waiting for the best time to release the film. There was never any professional or business hazard. Now, Indian cricket is on a high and the film is releasing on a good note.

Are you not concerned that after all these months the film may look dated?

See, lots of cinegoers are cricket enthusiasts at heart. It’s not every day that a cricket film releases. So they should all go and watch it. I am confident about my film... it has a great cast of very good performers like Mandira Bedi, Eijaz Khan, Anupam Kher, Mahesh Manjrekar... It’s a sweet little film that should touch hearts. And it’s written by a Bengali, Soumik Sen.

But Anil Kumble, who is Meera’s idol in the movie, doesn’t play cricket any more...

Anil Kumble is the prototype of the gentleman cricketer in the film. The film is not about Anil Kumble as such. Also, Meerabai Not Out is not a totally cricket film. It’s about passion and life’s priorities.

Cricket is Meera’s passion. What is her priority?

The story is about a teacher of mathematics named Meera Achrekar who is a cricket enthusiast. She has a unique way of teaching mathematics through the statistics of cricket. She also has her own cricket team Meerabai XI. So her passion is cricket. Her priority is her job and her family and what they want her to do in life.

Why pick Mandira Bedi for the title role?

Mandira Bedi, like Meera Achrekar in the film, is a cricket enthusiast. Now, she is being recognised as the first lady of Indian cricket. She is also the only known woman commentator around. I thought she should be perfect to play this woman who has spent her whole life following cricket. Us ke naam se cricket juda nahin hua kabhi...

But had you taken a star, wouldn’t you have got a better opening at the box office?

You don’t need stars in every film. The type of content decides the stars. You need good actors for certain movies. Also, everybody has to start somewhere. The biggest of stars had their first films at some point of time. I don’t think people go in to watch stars. They go to watch a story. A lot depends on the director’s treatment as well. Especially in low-budget films. I am very optimistic about small films after the success of A Wednesday and Pyaar Ke Side/Effects. In these films, it is the concept which works.

Are you reaching out only to cricket lovers?

In India, 90 per cent people are fans of cricket. And the rest 10 per cent hate cricket only because cricket is talked about in the family all the time. That is the subject of my film. How do you prioritise things in your life and yet not let go of your passion?

Writer Soumik Sen on Meerabai Not Out

The film was initially planned by director Raj Kaushal (Mandira’s husband), who asked me to write the script about a cricket enthusiast. He did not want to direct the film but produce it under his banner.

The cricketer shown in the film would have determined the location of the film and the director. Had it been about Sourav Ganguly, it would have been set in Calcutta and I would have directed it.

Once we decided that Meerabai was a Marathi woman, we went hunting for a Marathi director and finally decided on Chandrakant Kulkarni who made the superhit film Bindhaast.

We chose Kumble because he was always a very underrated cricketer. He was India’s biggest matchwinner. Yet he would not be considered in the Tendulkar-Dravid-Ganguly category. He chose not to be part of controversies and never gave a bite just to make it sound exciting.