In a shocking turn of events, Shoaib Akhtar has distanced himself from his biopic. The project, Rawalpindi Express, has been in the works for a good few months now. The project was first announced by the man himself in July of 2023 and he was very excited about it as well.
Based on the life of a Pakistani fast bowler who was dubbed Rawalpindi Express for his fast pace bowler that terrorized batsmen from all over the world, the movie was set to chronicle his life and the downs and ups he faced in the race to become the best bowler in the world.
Rawalpindi Express Woes
The project has been a victim of controversies and back luck since the beginning. However, things got worse when singer-turned-actor Umair Jaswal distanced himself from the project as well. He was set to play the titular role of Shoaib Akhtar in the movie, however, he removed himself from the biopic just this month.
In a post shared on his Twitter, Umair Jaswal wrote:
“Due to creative and personal reasons, I have decided to step away from the Shoaib Akhtar biopic project RAWALPINDI EXPRESS. I will no longer be associated with any media or news related to this project. Wishing everyone involved all the best.”
Now it looks like the issue was not technical but creative differences as Shoaib Akhtar has removed himself from the project as well. He shared the news on his Instagram account and his Twitter account where he shocked the fans.
In his post, he said, “Very sadly, I would like to inform all of you 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.”
He also warned the management and the team behind the movie. “Severe legal action will be taken if the makers continue to make biography film[s] and use my name or life story events in any way,” he mentioned.
Shoaib Akhtar was excited about the project and he even shared the poster for the movie on his official social media accounts, but those posts are deleted as well. The movie Rawalpindi Express was being directed by Faraz Qaiser and was produced by Q Film Production.
Had it been made; this would have been the first international movie to be made on the life of a legendary Pakistani cricketer. The movie would have been released in November 2023, but the chances of it are all but gone.