Director Abhijeet Shirish Deshpande has chosen a series over a film to tell former Indian cricketer Vinod Kambli’s extraordinary and turbulent life, saying the story has too much drama and material to fit into a single feature.
According to Bollywood Hungama, Deshpande will direct Kambli, an upcoming ZEE5 series produced by Ravi Bhagchandka’s 200NotOut Productions, the company behind the documentary Sachin: A Billion Dreams. The project comes as Deshpande’s Siddhant Chaturvedi and Tamannaah Bhatia-starrer V Shantaram biopic has been pushed to 2027. That film is now scheduled to go on floors in April next year, with outdoor sequences planned before the monsoon and interior shoots during the rainy season.
Deshpande said he began writing Kambli in 2019 alongside V Shantaram. He initially planned it as a Marathi feature film. However, deeper research into Kambli’s life convinced him that a series would better capture the former cricketer’s journey.
The director said the project is “a human story and not a sports film”. He also believes a Hindi-language series will help Kambli’s story reach a wider audience.
Casting remains underway, with the makers searching for a fresh face who closely resembles Kambli. They want to portray his personality and life with sensitivity and realism.
The production is targeting a November 2026 start and plans to complete filming in one stretch over three to four months. Deshpande will return to V Shantaram after wrapping the series.
Kambli will follow his rise as one of India’s most promising young batting talents, his major achievements and the personal and professional struggles that changed the course of his career. It will look beyond the headlines at a life shaped by immense promise, success and adversity.
