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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

MLC polls expose cracks in Mahayuti, MVA

AI Generated Image Mumbai: The upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections for the graduate and teacher constituencies have laid bare the deep-seated fissures within both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliances. In a significant development that could have far-reaching political implications, multiple rebel candidates, including prominent figures with strong party affiliations, have defied alliance dictates to file their nominations as...

MLC polls expose cracks in Mahayuti, MVA

AI Generated Image Mumbai: The upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections for the graduate and teacher constituencies have laid bare the deep-seated fissures within both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliances. In a significant development that could have far-reaching political implications, multiple rebel candidates, including prominent figures with strong party affiliations, have defied alliance dictates to file their nominations as independents, setting the stage for high-stakes, multi-cornered contests. Mahayuti Turmoil The Mahayuti alliance, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), is grappling with rebellion on multiple fronts. In the critical Nagpur Graduates constituency, a traditional BJP stronghold, former BJP MLC and Nagpur Mayor Anil Sole has thrown a spanner in the works by filing his nomination as an independent candidate. This move directly challenges the official BJP candidate, Sudhakar Kohale. While the BJP leadership, including state president Ravindra Chavan, has attempted to downplay the situation, asserting that Sole has been "pacified," the former MLC's actions tell a different story. Sole's decision to contest independently is particularly significant given his long-standing association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and his previous stint as a BJP MLC from the very same constituency. The situation is equally complicated in the Amravati Teachers constituency. The Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) has officially fielded Kiran Sarnaik. However, adding to the confusion, Sangita Shinde, sister of BJP MP Anil Bonde, has also entered the fray, potentially splitting the Mahayuti vote. The opposition MVA is also facing its share of internal discord here. While the Congress has nominated Aditi Pohre, daughter of former minister Harshvardhan Deshmukh, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Dattatray Lahane. The presence of numerous candidates representing various teachers' organizations further complicates the electoral arithmetic in this constituency. Opposition Rebellion The Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar Graduates constituency has witnessed another surprise development. While the NCP's sitting MLC, Satish Chavan, was widely considered the frontrunner, the BJP's M.K. Deshmukh has unexpectedly filed his nomination as a rebel candidate, catching the Mahayuti leadership completely off guard. The MVA, too, is facing rebellion in this constituency. Although the seat was officially allocated to the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Dilip Ghuge has also filed his nomination, causing significant heartburn within the opposition alliance. The Pune constituencies present a microcosm of the larger alliance troubles. In the Pune Graduates constituency, the BJP has fielded Dr. Smita Jadhav, the daughter-in-law of Pratap Singh Jadhav, owner of the 'Pudhari' news group and niece of Congress leader Satej Patil. Adding intrigue to this contest is the fact that she is contesting against Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav, the official candidate of the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). However, the real drama is unfolding in the Pune Teachers constituency. The BJP's official candidate, Koustubh Gawde, is facing a formidable challenge from Mangesh Chiwate, a close confidant of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Chiwate, a former journalist who handled the CM's medical aid cell while Shinde was the CM, has claimed that his party leadership has provided him with the crucial 'AB' form, signaling official backing. Commenting on the chaotic situation, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis acknowledged that seat-sharing talks remained inconclusive in some areas but expressed hope that the alliance partners would eventually reach an agreement. The true picture of the electoral battlefield will only emerge after Friday, October 9th, the last date for the withdrawal of nominations. Until then, both alliances will be working overtime to contain the rebellions and present a united front, but the deep cracks exposed by these developments suggest that the upcoming MLC elections will be fiercely contested and highly unpredictable.

Why Ganguly’s Biopic is a Bad Idea

Writer: Noorulain Sayed
Noorulain Sayed
Jul 1, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Jul 2, 2025

Bollywood’s sports biopics are often whitewashed — stripped of controversy and seemingly vetted by the sportsperson’s PR team.

Cricket and films, the two most potent ‘religions’ in India, have had unions time and again. At times, the results have been thrilling surprises — like MS Dhoni: The Untold Story — and at others, they've turned into box office flops or forgettable duds, like 83, Azhar, and Shabaash Mithu. The Hindi film industry has also ventured beyond cricket, exploring biopics on a range of other sports — Saina (badminton), Mary Kom (boxing), Budhia Singh: Born to Run (marathon), Soorma (hockey), Toolsidas Junior (snooker), Chandu Champion (Paralympic swimming), and Paan Singh Tomar (steeplechase).  Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (sprinting) was the only film that was well made and looked and felt authentic. Recently, Sourav Ganguly confirmed that a biopic is being made on his life, and actor Rajkummar Rao will play the titular role. Similarly, there have been talks of a biopic on Vinod Kambli for years. The million-dollar question is: why this obsession with sportsperson's biopics? The answer is simple — money. The industry believes that since sports and sportspersons, especially cricketers, are so popular in India, they can capitalise on that popularity.

 

Up until last year, there was a lot of brouhaha about Chakda ‘Xpress starring Anushka Sharma, based on the life of India’s female cricket star Jhulan Goswami. The film never saw the light of day (Thank God!) despite heavy backing from Netflix. No one knows what exactly happened, but when I saw the teaser of the now-unreleased film, I was shocked! First of all, the actor didn’t look anything like Jhulan. On top of it, the Bengali accent sounded caricaturish. I was immediately repulsed by the lack of authenticity. 

 

The fact is, Bollywood doesn’t have what it takes to make an authentic biopic. Everything is whitewashed. Take, for example, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, leave aside the brilliant performance by the late Sushant Singh Rajput, and look at the story… Dhoni is depicted as too good to be true. No controversial aspect of his life is shown, and everything seems like it was screened 10 times through the cricket legend’s PR before adding it to the script. 

Then there was a ‘documentary’ on Sachin Tendulkar titled Sachin: A Billion Dreams. Despite Tendulkar’s legendary status― the ‘master blaster’ who managed to reach dizzying heights, broke countless records, and has billions of fans across the globe ―the film bombed. The reason? It lacked an emotional connection with the audience. 


The problem with Bollywood is that if one film does well, they all jump on the bandwagon to repeat the same magic to earn moolah. If a South Indian film has done well, they want to remake it. Believe me when I say this, to date, not a single Hindi remake of a South Indian film has been better than its original (despite a much bigger budget and production values). The X-factor is always missing. 

 

Films on sports personalities have it all: an underdog, a struggle phase, a rise to fame, success, sex, drugs, family drama, romance, downfall, and subsequent redemption. However, Bollywood rarely gets it right, and in the quest to please everyone (especially the person being depicted), the film loses its soul.

 

Coming back to the Ganguly biopic, no doubt Rao is a brilliant actor, but will the makers dare to show the good as well as the flawed side of the sportsman being depicted, or will they do another Dhoni? Also, think about it, who is really interested in watching Sourav Ganguly’s biopic? Rao’s films have not exactly been box-office hits recently, and Ganguly (Dada) is a has-been cricketer who was more in the news back in the day for his alleged extramarital affairs with Nagma and Vaishali Dalmiya and certain other scandals (tiff with Virat Kohli, Chappell–Ganguly controversy, etc.). Only time will tell if the film ever gets made and released. Till then, if you want to watch solid sports-based films, watch the following (no, they are not biographies):  Chak De! India, Iqbal, Kai Po Che!, Saala Khadoos, Rashmi Rocket, Ghoomer, and of course Lagaan.

 

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