The trailer and release date of Sumo Didi, a sports biopic based on the life of the country’s first professional female sumo wrestler, is out. Directed by Jayant Rohatgi and starring Shriyam Bhagnani in the lead, the film is a biopic of Hetal Dave, India’s first and only female sumo wrestler.
The trailer takes us into the life of a young Hetal who faces continuous body-shaming because of her weight. Her mother wants her to lose weight and get married, a nosy aunty too suggests her to shed the kilos and become an air hostess, but Hetal is nursing a dream of representing India in the World Sumo Championship. The trailer, mostly filled with training montages, gives a glimpse into Hetal’s journey from defying criticisms to finally achieving her dream.
Describing the film, director Jayant Rohtagi said, “Sumo Didi is an inspiring underdog story of grit, resilience and rising from the depths of despair. A young woman from a conservative Marwari household defies all odds, turning her perceived weakness into strength and breaking the glass ceiling. What drew me to Hetal’s story was her courage in challenging patriarchy, social pressure, gender bias and body politics.”
The lead actor Shriyam Bhagnani added, “This film is my first lead outing and that was a huge responsibility to shoulder on top of that the role was complex. It felt like an uphill climb when I started and I still can't believe that it's releasing this month. Playing Hetal Dave has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life.”
Produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Akash Chawla, Arunava Sengupta and Amit Chandrra, the film also features Chaitnya Sharma.
Sumo Didi has also been screened at international film festivals, including the Tokyo International Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival.
The film is scheduled to release directly to digital. It will start streaming on ZEE5 from October 23.
