MUMBAI: Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj will be the subject of a feature-length documentary. The untitled film, which is under production, will cover Amritraj’s childhood in India, his tennis career in the 1970s and 1980s, his philanthropic work, and his roles in such films as the James Bond thriller Octopussy and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and the television show What A Country, a press release stated.
The film will be helmed by Sami Khan, who has co-directed the Oscar-nominated short documentary St. Louis Superman. The Amritraj documentary will be produced by Calabasas Films + Media and Sterling Road Films alongside Dhaval Desai and Amritraj’s son, Prakash Amritraj.
The documentary will chart Amritraj’s rise from his childhood in India, overcoming serious health issues, to his emergence as a top player in the 1970s and 1980s, defeating Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, and John McEnroe in their primes.
“Despite being billed as one of the top young players of the 1970s, along with Borg and Connors, Amritraj never won a major championship,” the press release stated. “Some detractors claimed he was ‘too nice to win’. In a culture that often celebrates ruthless victory over sportsmanship, the documentary explores the toll that takes on everyone.”
Sami Khan said in a press statement, “Amritraj was a pioneer for South Asian athletes, and I know our film will have urgent resonance today. Kapil, Paul, Prakash, and Dhaval are amazing partners on this journey, and I can’t wait to share Amritraj’s tale with audiences soon.”
“Telling Vijay’s story after so many years of doing charity work together is truly exciting,” added Kapil Mahendra. “The anecdotes he shares of his life on and off the court with his encounters and relationships with legends of the sport and Hollywood are exceptional.”
Prakash Amritraj added: “For so long people of color have been told ‘you can’t,’ and ‘you won’t,’ Vijay has always been a symbol of ‘I can’ and ‘I will.’ And he did it keeping God in his heart, and his family and India on his back. He’s been my greatest example of what it is to be a man and a hero. It’s a dream to bring his story to the screen with Calabasas Films and the brilliant Sami Khan at the helm.”
Along with older brother Anand, Vijay Amritraj was an integral part of the Indian team that boycotted the 1974 Davis Cup Finals (which India was expected to win) against South Africa to protest Apartheid.
After tennis, Amritraj would continue to denounce Apartheid and the film will explore how he used his platform for good.
