KARACHI: After the enormous success of “The Legend of Maula Jatt,” veteran Pakistani scriptwriter Nasir Adeeb is working on the dialogues of a new film focusing on the life of a legendary wrestler, Gama Pehlwan.
Born as Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt in a traditional Kashmiri Muslim family in 1878, Gama remained India’s undefeated wrestling champion during the early 20th century.
Even after more than five decades of his death, he continues to be a major inspiration for wrestlers in Pakistan.
“People are not expecting an ordinary film from me after Maula Jatt,” Adeeb told Arab News, adding “The Great Gama” would make an attempt to do justice with the iconic wrestler’s larger-than-life persona.
“The film will feature original events from his life, though we will tweak the rest of the story around it,” he continued. “We are not making a documentary. We are making a film.”
Adeeb said he found the idea of making the film on Gama “unique” since no one in Pakistan had tried to bring him to life on the big screen. He added he had been reading a lot about the subject while writing the script.
“A book has been published on him in India,” he informed. “We are getting it delivered here. I have already read everything on him that is available on Google.”
Gama was popular for defeating his opponents within the first few minutes of the fight. He also challenged several national and international players and overpowered them during the peak of his youth.
“I found him to be a very intriguing character,” said producer Shayan Khan whose company, Zashko Films, is working on the project. “I feel that Gama’s strength is very inspiring. It can set an example for our youth that anything is possible if we put our mind to it. Gama went around the world while proving the strength of our region.”
Khan hoped the film would be released in 2023 after being shot abroad with international cast and crew.
“We will have locations in the European and North American region as well as Pakistan,” he said. “Our goal will be to use as much cast and crew from Pakistan as possible.”
