"it’s completely illegal and they will be responsible"
Shoaib Akhtar has revealed that he successfully put a halt to the production of a biopic about him.
The 47-year-old was involved in a legal dispute over the course of a few months after an agreement had been dishonoured by the producer and director, who insisted the project should be completed.
The ex-cricketer took to Twitter and posted a statement that read:
“Alhamdulillah I have secured a restraining order/stay order against the filming and release of the supposed biopic being made on my life by a certain group of people.
“I had to do this because they had threatened in writing of continuing filming regardless of the legal termination of the agreement.
“Any person involved in the project should know that it’s completely illegal and they will be responsible for any reputational loss.”
Important announcement. Stay order secured against supposed biopic on my life. Details attached. pic.twitter.com/G9mpZTPulo
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) July 4, 2023
In January 2023, Akhtar announced that he would be distancing himself from Rawalpindi Express, which was set to be directed by Muhammad Faraz Qaiser.
Akhtar had threatened to take legal action if the filmmakers continued to make the film and use his personal information without his permission.
He had said: “Very sadly, I would like to inform you all that after careful consideration of months, I have decided to disassociate myself from the film Rawalpindi Express and its makers by terminating the agreement through my management and legal team.”
The cricketer went on to explain that the project was not working out the way he had hoped it would. He said:
“Definitely, it was a dream project but I tried a lot to prevent [this] and stay in the boat but unfortunately, things were not going well.
“Failure to resolve disagreements amicably and constant contractual violations finally resulted in us cutting ties with them.”
Had the filming gone ahead, Rawalpindi Express would have been based on the cricketer’s success, who is recognised as the fastest bowler in cricket history.
The film was announced in July 2022 and was expected to be released in November 2023. It was understood to be the first foreign film based on a Pakistani sportsman.
Singer and actor Umair Jaswal confirmed that he would be playing Shoaib Akhtar. But a short while later, he exited the film due to “creative and personal reasons”.
Shoaib Akhtar achieved the record-breaking ball during the 2003 World Cup, bowling at 100.2mph.
The record still remains unbeaten, although both Brett Lee and Shaun Tait have come close, both achieving 100.1mph.
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