On former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly’s 54th birthday, the makers of Dada unveiled the film’s first look, featuring Rajkummar Rao in the titular role.
The scene shows Rao swirling his Indian jersey in jubilant celebration after India’s win in the 2002 NatWest Series final against England at Lord’s. A shirtless Ganguly waving his India jersey before running onto the field remains one of cricket’s most iconic moments.
Sharing the look, Rajkummar Rao wrote, “Happy Birthday, our dearest Dada.”
Sourav Ganguly also shared the post and wished Rajkummar good luck. He wrote, “The best gift ever! Can’t wait to see you play my cover drive!”
About Dada
The film has been produced by filmmakers Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg of Luv Films. Vikramaditya Motwane is directing the film.
In an interview with PTI in July 2025, Ganguly said Rao was the right choice to portray him.
“I think the right person is doing it… I’ll help him with everything,” said the former player, who is counted among India’s most successful captains.
The iconic moment
Back in 2002, in the NatWest Series final against Nasser Hussain’s side, India had lost nine consecutive ODI finals. After England posted a huge total of 325 for 5, the pressure was squarely on the visitors.
Marcus Trescothick (109) and Hussain (115) had deflated the Indian bowling attack with a 185-run stand for the second wicket; chasing the big target, India slipped to 146 for 5 after being given a 106-run start by openers Ganguly (60) and Virender Sehwag (45).
But just when a win looked certain for England, two Indian youngsters—Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh—owned the ground with a fearless display of batting.
The pair added 121 runs in an aggressive sixth-wicket partnership that brought India back into a position from which they could force a win, and the thrilling two-wicket victory was eventually sealed by Kaif and Zaheer Khan (4 not out) in the final over.
In response to that nerve-wracking win, Ganguly waved his Indian jersey on the Lord’s balcony before running onto the field to hug the batsmen. (NDTV)