Viacom18 showcases strong women characters content: Ajit Andhare, buys Mithali biopic rights

Viacom18 showcases strong women characters content: Ajit Andhare, buys Mithali biopic rights

Ajit Andhare and Mithali raj

MUMBAI: With a phenomenal record of being the highest run scorer in one-day internationals averaging above 51, the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, Mithali Raj, has had a remarkable journey on field. An inspiration to billions of young girls in the country, her life is now all set to be documented on the silver screen. The rights of the film have been acquired by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the studio that backed content driven films like Queen, Manjhi, Drishyam, Mary Kom, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and the recent hit, Toilet Ek Prem Katha. Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare says, “Viacom18 Motion Pictures has always been the pioneer in showcasing content with portrayal of strong women characters right from Queen to Kahani to Mary Kom. We are proud to be collaborating with the young and inspirational Mithali Dorai Raj, a name single-handedly responsible in bringing about a shift in the way women’s cricket team was perceived in our country.” Raj is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket and the only woman cricketer to surpass the 6,000 run mark in ODIs. She is also the first player to score seven consecutive 50s in ODIs. Raj is the first Indian to have lead the national team to an ICC ODI World Cup final twice - 2005 and 2017. An Arjuna awardee, Mithali was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2015, India’s fourth highest civilian award for her contribution towards the sport of cricket. Raj says, “I am extremely happy on this association with Viacom18 Motion Pictures. Hoping that this movie inspires more people especially young girls to take up sports as a career.” The association between Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Mithali Raj has been facilitated by Medallin Sports director Varun Chopra, who says: “Mithali remains to be an inspiration for multitudes for many years now and her story on the silver screen will keep motivating generations.”