‘Khashaba’ teaser promises gripping sports biopic based on Independent India’s 1st individual Olympic medalist

Mumbai, July 2 (IANS) The teaser of the upcoming film ‘Khashaba’ helmed by the National Award-winning filmmaker Nagraj Majule was unveiled on Thursday. It offers a glimpse into the world of traditional wrestling mud-pits (akhadas), capturing the film’s epic cinematic scale, raw emotional depth, and energy.

The film is a Marathi language biographical sports drama, and showcases the journey of wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, who was Independent India’s very first individual Olympic medal winner.

The film is set against the backdrop of a newly independent nation, and tells the gripping story of an unsung wrestling icon from Maharashtra who overcame staggering odds to secure a historic bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

The film is mounted on a large scale and is poised to become the largest sports drama ever mounted in regional cinema. It also reunites Nagraj Majule with the music composer duo Ajay–Atul after ‘Jhund’. They have earlier delivered the stellar album of the Marathi classic ‘Sairat’.

One well-kept secret is the lead actor playing Khashaba, who is a phenomenal new discovery to bring the legendary wrestling icon to life on the big screen. The teaser also does not reveal his face, setting the stage for a highly anticipated unveiling soon. The film also stars Jitendra Joshi, Mahesh Manjrekar, Girish Kulkarni, Vaibhav Mangale, Chhaya Kadam and Gargee Kulkarni.

Khashaba elevates a deeply localized story of Indian sporting history into a theatrical spectacle designed to resonate across global audiences.

Prior to this, Nagraj Majule delivered one of the biggest shows of 2026 with ‘Matka King’ loosely inspired by the life of Ratan Khatri.

Presented by Jio Studios and Aatpat Productions, ‘Khashaba’ is produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Gargee Kulkarni. The film is set to arrive in theatres worldwide on January 1, 2027.

–IANS

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