NEW DELHI: A biopic will be made on the Kashmiri footballer, Afshan Ashiq who hit headlines in April this year after her photograph hurling a stone at government forces during student protests in the valley went viral on the internet.
Bollywood filmmaker Manish Harishankar, who has directed a number of films including Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, has titled the biopic as Hope Solo, mid-day.com reported.
The film, it said, will feature the journey of 21-year-old Afshan, trained at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala in football. Afsheen is a bachelor’s student at Womens’ College, M A Road Srinagar, and also coaches young girls football.
She was pictured hurling a stone on government forces during student clashes with police on April 24 went viral. Though her face was masked, the popularity of the viral picture caught up with her soon.
Bollywood actresses, Ileana D’Cruz and Athiya Shetty, the report added, have been approached for the role in the film. “When I met Afshan, she spoke about the struggle she had to face to start playing football in Kashmir. Everyone, including her parents, were against the idea.
Ladki hai, football kaise khelegi? She had to fight her parents and the society to realise her dreams. Living in Kashmir, she was bold enough to wear football jerseys with the Indian emblem on them,” mid-day.com quoted Director Harishankar.
The title of the film has been set after American soccer goalkeeper and two-time olympic gold medalist Hope Solo as Afshan terms him as her role model. “Also, when you see her story, you will realise that Afshan is the only hope of Kashmir and its youth,” he was further quoted in the report. Harsihankar has termed that he hopes to spread a strong message about women empowerment by making this film.
