Mandira Bedi in Meerabai Not Out

Calcutta, Nov. 14: When Anil Kumble announced his retirement on November 2, he would not have known he was bowling a googly at a Bollywood film.

Meerabai Not Out, starring Mandira Bedi as Meera Achrekar, “a crazy Kumble fan”, has been ready for some time, waiting for the right Friday to release. But now with the leggie suddenly hanging up his boots, it’s rush hour.

“No one knew he would retire just like that… in the middle of a match,” Mandira said. “Ideally, the film should have released earlier because it shows Kumble playing in the team. That’s something you can’t change. This is the next best time to release the film… I suppose… just after his retirement.”

December 5 is the earliest date the producers, Pritish Nandy Communications, have managed as of now. “The promos of the film are already out on television and we are having the movie censored next week,” Pritish Nandy said. “We finished the movie some time ago but could not get a chance to release it.”

Meerabai’s release was first planned during the final stages of the World Cup in April 2007. “But with India not even making it to the Super 8, we decided to delay the release as the mood in the country was really low,” added director Chandrakant Kulkarni. “Thereafter, we were looking for a time when the spirits of Indian cricket fans would be high.”

There was a window during the Twenty20 World Cup but a possible tie-up with Mahendra Singh Dhoni didn’t work out.

Now, of course, Kumble’s retirement has forced the producers’ hand. India’s highest wicket-taker is not only Meera’s idol in the film, he has a cameo as himself. “It’s not that we will shoot the scenes with some other cricketer, because we always wanted it to be Kumble,” Mandira said. “He has been an unsung hero in Indian cricket. A cricketer and a gentleman… that’s what I would call him. He was absolutely wonderful to work with.”

Nandy, who hopes audiences will warm up to the film and not worry too much about Kumble’s retirement, said: “He is a symbol for cricket in the film. It could have just as well been Richie Benaud. But then again, a lot of women would love Anil Kumble because he is the good guy of cricket.”

When the film was being written, Meera could have been a fan of Sourav Ganguly and not Kumble. “It had to be one of them,” Mandira said. “Had it been Ganguly, we would have placed the film in Calcutta.”

It wouldn’t have made much of a difference to Meerabai Not Out. After all, Dada retired a match later.