John Abraham, Nikkhil Advani reunite for football film, 1911

After the crime thriller Batla House, actor John Abraham and filmmaker Nikkhil Advani will be collaborating on 1911 — a period sports film about Mohan Bagan’s historical win over East Yorkshire Regiment at the 1911 IFA shield finale. 

It was earlier announced that T-Series, JA Entertainment and Emmay Entertainment will be co-producing six upcoming films by various directors. 1911, the first film in this deal, goes on floors in November 2019 and will be shot over three months in Kolkata. 

“What makes 1911 special is that it is not just about the coach, the players or even the game, it’s also about India’s freedom struggle. Like with Parmanu, the idea is to educate in an entertaining way so viewers walk out of the theatre saying, 'Wow, I didn’t know this!'” John said in a statement. 

The Mohan Bagan Athletic Club was established in 1889 in North Kolkata. In 1911, it was invited to take part in the prestigious Indian Football Association (IFA) Shield. The team comprising legendary players such as Hiralal Mukherjee, Bhuti Sukul, Sudhir Chatterjee and  Manmohan Mukherjee went up to the final and defeated the East Yorkshire Regiment, an elite branch of the British army.

Nikkhil Advani, who last directed the 2016 film Guddu Engineer, is excited to return to filmmaking with a film set in pre-Independence Kolkata. “I’ve been wanting to make a film set in Kolkata, talking about its people, culture and heritage. 1911 is even better because it moves beyond Bengal to encompass all of India and its history. It’s a huge responsibility to tell this story right as it’s almost folklore to the people of Bengal, and as it’s so close to John. I’m thrilled he thinks that I will be able to do it justice,” he said. 

1911 is expected to be released in mid-2020. A die-hard football fan, John Abraham was last seen playing the sport in Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (2007).