Teaser poster, trailer and now, the first look the team behind the promotion ofi is leaving no stone unturned to keep fans at the edge of their seats. Actor Emraan Hashmi took to micro blogging site Twitter to share the news. “The journey of #Azhar begins! Here’s the official #AzharPoster.. Wish us luck!! (sic), he tweeted.
It is a known fact that the movie is an autobiographical representation of the life of Mohammad Azharuddin, the former captain of the Indian cricket team. The plot of the film, directed by Tony D’Souza primarily deals with the dark phase of the skipper’s life when he was accused of match fixing in 2000, which ultimately put a stop to his rising career. The ban was, however, lifted by an Andhra court in 2012.
The teaser poster and the trailer both echo “Match fixing ka illzaam hai mujhpar” bringing out the hinge on which the movie revolves.
Azharuddin had earlier said that he was a fan of the actor and had also mentioned that if ever a film were to be made on him, no one would portray him better than Hashmi.
The actor in turn did everything he could to fit into the shoes. From visiting the cricketer at his home, looking through old photographs of the Indian cricket team, practicing for hours on the pitch to get his body language correct he did everything to understand the person he was to play.
In fact, he underwent intense training sessions with celebrity fitness and movement-training expert, Praveen Tokas, who had devised a special workout programme for him. Emraan also spent hours in the gym to work on his stamina and to model his physique.
He said, “Azhar has turned out to be the most physically demanding film for me. Preparing for the role has been an amazing experience. I had to undergo a physical transformation. I’m really enjoying the process.”
The first look of Prachi Desai, who would be seen as one of Azhar’s wife, was also released yesterday.
The film is being produced by Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor and Sneha Rajani under their banners Balaji Motion Pictures and MSM Motion Pictures. It will hit the theatres on May 13.