“I signed Sushant Singh Rajput for Dhoni without seeing a single film of his” – Neeraj Pandey : Bollywood News

Director Neeraj Pandey, who has just scored high success as a producer with Rustom, is getting ready for the release of Dhoni The Untold Story which is being promoted enthusiastically by Dhoni himself. Sighs Neeraj, "It was providential. When we needed Dhoni to talk about the film at promotional campaigns he had retired from professional cricket and had time to be with us. If he was still playing I doubt he'd have been able to support the film."

“I signed Sushant Singh Rajput for Dhoni without seeing a single film of his” – Neeraj Pandey

Neeraj says he wanted to show the human side of Dhoni. "Everyone already knows about his triumphs on the field. It was the man outside the cricket field who interested me. His attitude to life and success were what I was interested in."

Neeraj was sure it was going to be Sushant Singh Rajput as Dhoni. "From the beginning I was sure of Sushant. I don't know what it was. I had never seen any of Sushant's films when I signed him. It was just a hunch that he was right for the role. And I was right. Sushant's unflagging enthusiasm to get Dhoni right has given the film a sense of credibility and strength. Sushant is a very hungry actor. He played Dhoni as if he had a point to prove."

What should Dhoni's fans and fans of Neeraj Pandey's cinema expect in their collaboration? "A film that tells the truth. We've humanized Dhoni without glorifying him unnecessarily. We didn't want to make Dhoni larger-than-life. Whatever he achieved on the field has already made him iconic. The bio-pic will provide an insight into Dhoni's mind. We haven't deified him. We've shown him as human, yet heroic."