Directed by Amole Gupta, the 2021 film Saina is the biopic of Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal. The biographical sports drama features Parineeti Chopra as the former world number 1 player, and Manav Kaul, Eshan Naqvi, Shubhrajyoti Barat, and Meghna Malik playing other real-life figures crucial in Saina's journey.
The film, for which Amole Gupte began preparations in 2016, was announced in 2017 with Shraddha Kapoor as the lead. Two years later, Parineeti replaced her. Initially slated to release in September 2020, Saina was postponed and finally released in the theatres on March 26, 2021, in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The film received mixed reviews from the critics, but was completely rejected by the audiences. As per the entertainment tracking portal Sacnilk, Saina was made on a budget of Rs 25 crore, but could only earn Rs 1.1 crore net in India and grossed Rs 1.5 crore worldwide. The film proved to be a massive commercial failure and bombed at the box office.
In an interview ahead of the film's release, Amole revealed how Parineeti replaced Shraddha and came on board the film. He told Bollywood Hungama, "Shraddha was in full preparation, which is why we started shooting. She practiced hard to become Saina, and was doing good work. But she got dengue, and became frail after spending a month in bed. She kept asking me if she could try and return, and we kept pushing. But one day, she admitted that she was feeling too weak. It wasn’t about shooting emotional scenes. It was about playing badminton for 12 hours. And you need strength for that."
"It was decided that Shraddha will shoot Chhichhore because that team had booked IIT Bombay for Diwali holidays, otherwise getting the location was difficult for them. We thought in the meantime she will gain back her strength and then begin Saina. Bhushan Kumar, my producer told me his other film Street Dancer 3D is facing a crisis, and he needs a heroine. It’s a bigger film with more budget. So I agreed to let Shraddha take that up. He then brought Parineeti in for me for Saina. It was all happy happy. Parineeti happy, Shraddha happy, Bhushan Kumar happy, and I am also very happy. At least the film wasn’t shut down. It just took five years to arrive", he concluded.
Amole Gupte hasn't directed any film since Saina. His previous films include Stanley Ka Dabba (2011), Hawaa Hawaai (2014), and Sniff (2017). He is most famously known as the creative director and writer of Aamir Khan and Darsheel Safary-starrer Taare Zameen Par. The 2007 release remains the only film directed by Khan.
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