Pramod Bhagat feels it will take some more time for para-athletes to get visibility in Bollywood

Despite the ongoing health crisis in the world and surge in Covid-19 cases, para shuttler Pramod Bhagat is continuing to focus on his preparation for the first ever Paralympics. He hopes that the tournament will change the way people look at para-athletes.

After getting postponed due to the global pandemic last year, the tournament is scheduled to be held in August in Tokyo. “I’m hopeful it’ll happen as per schedule. Sometime back, I had a word with the organisers as well and they, too, were optimistic about it. It’s a very big opportunity for me as well as for the para-athlete community, and that’s why I’m prepping for it even today,” Bhagat tells us.

The 32-year-old, who hails from Attabira in Odisha’s Bargarh district, feels that over the years a lot has changed for para-athletes, and the rest would change after the Paralympics. He’s quite hopeful that soon, Bollywood will also wake up to the presence of para-athletes, and tell stories from their lives.

“After Saina Nehwal won a medal in Olympics, badminton got a boost and became popular as a sport. I think it’ll happen with us also after the tournament,” says Bhagat, ranked world number one in para-badminton for men’s singles and doubles.

“If we set out to find inspiring stories of people, we’d find many, and it’ll be good for all. But at this moment, I don’t think it’s possible at least till the time Paralympics happen this year,” adds the sports icon, who couldn’t compete at the Spanish International due to the new quarantine rules imposed in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The trend of biopics based on sports personalities has found a permanent place in Bollywood, but Bhagat feels not every story clicks with the audience.

“Jaisa Milkha Singh ki story ke saath ek emotional quotient bhi aaya tha, jabki Saina ki story sports pe hi reh gayi. I Saina ke peeche rehne ka ek yeh reason bhi hai ke usmein emotional touch nahi tha,” he opines.

Having overcome the challenges that polio brought in his life when he was a kid, the shuttler also dreams of his life playing out on the silver screen, and admits that he knows that its still a distant reality.

“Kabhi na kabhi toh meri biopic aayegi, whether its on the big screen or any other medium. And I want Nawazuddin Siddiqui to essay my role. His acting is very natural and I feel he would be the apt choice to showcase my story,” he confesses.