A Manipuri film based on the life of Olympic medalist Saikhom Mirabai Chanu will be produced. The biopic will be based on the life of Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, who won the country’s first silver medal in women’s 49 kg weightlifting event, which was held in Tokyo. An agreement in this regard was signed on Saturday, August 1, between Mirabai's side and Imphal-based Seuti Films Production at her residence in Nongpok Kakching village in Imphal East district, a release issued by renowned playwright and the production company's chairperson Manaobi M M said.
The film will also be dubbed into English and various Indian languages, it added. Speaking to PTI, Manaobi said, "We will start looking for a girl who can essay the role of Mirabai Chanu. She has to match the Olympic medallist's age, height, physique and have some resemblance to her looks. Then she has to be trained on Mirabai's lifestyle. It will take at least six months to start shooting.”
According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the film will showcase instances from Mirabai’s childhood and track how she trained in weightlifting and participated at national and international events, and finally how she won at the Tokyo Olympics. The movie will also reportedly highlight her experiences in the city and the instances she encountered.
The report also adds that the feature film will be written by Manaobi M M, who is also taking care of the screenplay, while it will be directed by OC Meira. RK Nalini Devi is on board as the producer for the outing.
Mirabai managed to lift a total of 202kg in the women’s 49 kg category and became the second Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal in Tokyo. She made her debut at the Olympic Games in Rio, five years ago. She was conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award by the government of India in 2018.