Every time a biopic is made, three questions surface. Will it succeed? Will it pass the scrutiny of family and legal heirs? Will authenticity aggrieve someone or the other?

When Maidaan failed, Boney Kapoor concluded that the Indian audience was indifferent to a sport that isn’t cricket. Not true. Chak De! India (2007) centred around a hockey coach and a women’s team. But it was largely fictional since Mir Ranjan Negi, the real-life coach, morphed into a victimised Kabir Khan under Shimit Amin’s direction. If Shimit had been factually accurate, perhaps Negi’s story wouldn’t have got such an empathetic response. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) too had nothing to do with cricket and it was a winner. It would be equally flawed to argue nobody remembered coach Syed Abdul Rahim and, therefore, Maidaan did not connect with the audience. Umpteen biopics on contemporary cricketers have failed in recent times. For instance, Azhar (2016) and Shabhaash Mithu (2022). Filmmakers will have to accept only an inherent imperfection in the storytelling can impact business.

Playing it safe are director Siddharth P. Malhotra (Maharaj) and the producers of Kamal Aur Meena, the turbulent love story of filmmaker Kamal Amrohi and actress Meena Kumari. Kamal’s daughter Rukhsar, his only surviving son Tajdar and grandson Bilal (who is married to Kumar Gaurav’s daughter) are all on board as producers. With Siddharth’s flair for grand visuals and names like A.R. Rahman in the credits, Kamal Aur Meena will be a big canvas spectacle, the Amrohis also bringing Pakeezah to the table as a family heirloom.

Meena Kumari - actress.

But how authentic will the film be? The first time one heard of halala was when Kamal reportedly said “talaq talaq talaq” to Meena during one of their many colourful showdowns and he got her to wed his secretary and consummate it as per halala before they could go back to being husband and wife.

Will Meena’s fondness for liquor and men — ranging from Dharmendra and Gulzar to Sawan Kumar Tak — also feature in the poetic passion of Kamal and the tragedy queen? It’s common knowledge that Meena Kumari even left her diary of poems to Gulzar, who is fluent in Urdu and used to observe roza too. In fact, when Raakhee first met Gulzar, she was piqued about the writer who’d been so close to Meena Kumari. Kamal Aur Meena will thus come with high expectations of authenticity.

If visual awesomeness triggers excitement then Devara Part – 1 should create a ripple. It leaves no stone unturned in its commercial packaging. For one, it’s a relief to see Janhvi Kapoor discard the long, serious face she’s been sporting, and gyrate with youthful energy with NTR Junior. Those nostalgic over the NTR-Sridevi pairing may find it interesting that his son and her daughter have teamed up. For countrywide appeal, the South considers it a casting coup to get Sanjay Dutt or Saif Ali Khan to play the main antagonist. For Sanju and Saif, apart from a strong role, a fatter fee than anything they’d get in Mumbai, is a huge bait. The South also likes a pan-India name like Karan Johar on board, a trend that started with Baahubali (2015).

Guru Dutt, Meena Kumari in hindi film Saheb Biwi Golam.

While budgets bloat, Karan has scaled down his physique. Visuals from the Devara trailer launch show him with sucked-in cheeks and a frame youthful enough to go back to blue jeans. For six months before he took off for Rajasthan where he’s hosting the reality show The Traitors, Karan has been on an OMAD plan, the One Meal A Day diet that’s also known as 23:1 where you fast for 23 hours and eat without restriction for one hour.

Hardly a foodie and barely a drinker, one doesn’t know if Karan’s tastes have changed. But after watching his Kill and the brutal trailer of Devara, the Prince of Designer Wear sure seems to have tasted blood.

Bharathi S. Pradhan is a senior journalist and an author