Rajkummar Rao picked the perfect moment to set the internet buzzing: on Sourav Ganguly’s birthday, he unveiled the first poster of Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story, and it is a pitch-perfect recreation of the iconic shirtless Lord’s celebration. The biopic is slated to release on May 14, 2027, and the hype feels well earned.
Fans get a birthday surprise
Marking the day with a personal touch, Rao shared the poster on Instagram along with a warm note for the former India captain. His message read: ‘Happy Birthday our dearest Dada. @souravganguly #Dada #DadaTheSouravGangulyStory.’
The timing and the image do the heavy lifting. It is both a birthday wish and a statement of intent for one of Indian cinema’s most anticipated sports dramas.
Poster channels Ganguly’s defiant moment
The visual is a direct throwback to Indian cricket’s most rebellious snapshot: Ganguly on the Lord’s balcony, shirtless, whirling the blue jersey in triumph. Rao mirrors the stance, the energy, and the swagger, framed against the tricolour with Ganguly’s signature hairstyle and body language.
The poster leans into the legacy with the line: ‘He did not just play the game, he changed it.’ That tone is deliberate. The original celebration followed India’s NatWest Trophy win in 2002 and was widely read as a fearless response to Andrew Flintoff’s shirtless revelry at Wankhede earlier that year.
Release date and creative team
The makers have locked in the theatrical timeline and pulled together a formidable crew behind the camera, signalling scale and seriousness.
Key credits and dates confirmed by the makers include:
– Theatrical release on May 14, 2027
– Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane
– Produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg
– Luv Films banner, presented by Gulshan Kumar, Bhushan Kumar, T-Series, and DBL
Why the 2002 celebration still hits home
Ganguly’s balcony gesture did not arrive in a vacuum. On July 13, 2002, India hunted down 326 in the NatWest Trophy final at Lord’s, powered by a nerveless partnership from young Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif. The celebration captured a new mood: unapologetic, assertive, unafraid.
That image hardened into a symbol of how India wanted to see itself on the field. It marked the moment the team stopped asking for permission and started dictating terms, at home and away.
What to expect from the biopic
As per the film’s premise, Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story tracks a career that reoriented Indian cricket. The arc runs from a prodigious Kolkata talent to a captain who built a combative side, stamped by rivalries and marquee moments, including a dream debut at Lord’s.
The journey also weaves in a generational shift led by names like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, and Zaheer Khan, and the captain’s own comeback after being dropped. With Rajkummar Rao fronting that odyssey, anticipation among cricket lovers and moviegoers continues to climb.
