Film to capture Pakistani icon Imran Khan's life

Faisal Aman Khan, a Britain-based independent filmmaker who is directing the film, met the cricketer-turned- politician several times while researching the project to get him to endorse the movie.

"Imran Khan was reluctant at first and claimed that it was more important to focus on other aspects of the country. Faisal's persistence finally paid (off) in ultimately convincing him," Naveed Anwar, the film's assistant director and screenwriter, told The Express Tribune newspaper.

The film, currently in post-production, will be ready for distribution this fall but its producers are tight-lipped about the scheduled release date, the report said.
The filmmakers plan to release 'Kaptaan', which has a cast of 107 actors, in Pakistan and abroad.

Director Khan had the idea of making the movie two years ago after he graduated from film school.

"We wanted to make a film that would project the positive side of Pakistan. It was hard as there are very few personalities in Pakistan that have a global appeal," said assistant director Anwar.

Anwar, who has directed several short films, said 'Kaptaan' centres round Imran Khan's disappointment at Pakistan's dismal state of affairs, which triggered his entry into politics.

It juxtaposes Khan's struggle for Pakistan's future with that of Mohammad Ali Jinnah's, the country's founder.

The film is based on Imran Khan's life following the end of his cricket career. The movie recreates incidents such as his arrest at Punjab University in Lahore, his hunger strike in jail and "intimate scenes" with his ex-wife Jemima, the report said.

The filmmakers faced a challenge in selecting an actor for the main role and settled on model Abdul Mannan, who has an uncanny resemblance to the former cricketer, after numerous screen tests and auditions.

Anwar said it was difficult to find someone who could play Imran's part since there were few people who match the physical features and demeanour of the 1992 World Cup winning captain.

Mannan, not an avid follower of Pakistani politics, said he studied video clips of Khan to do justice to the role.

He said the film would make people realise the state of the country and lead them to take more interest in its affairs.

"There have been films such as 'Jinnah' and 'Gandhi', this is another inspiring story of a nation's hero," he said.

Saeeda Imtiaz, a Pakistani-American model based in New York, plays Jemima.
Her role highlights the challenges of living in Pakistan that Imran's former wife faced and highlights her "complex relationship" with the former cricketer.

Imran has come in for praise and criticism during his career as a politician.Pakistani liberals deride him as a supporter of the Taliban and other extremist groups while his campaign against corruption and US drone strikes has earned him a lot of young supporters.

However, his Tehrik-e-Insaaf party is considered by observers to be too weak to emerge as a key player in the next general election scheduled for 2013.