On former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly’s 54th birthday, the makers Dada has unveiled the first look of the film starring Rajkumar Rao. In the scene, Rao waves his Indian jersey as he celebrates after India’s 2002 NatWest Series final victory over England at Lord’s. A shirtless Ganguly waving the India jersey before running onto the field remains one of the most iconic moments in cricket.
Sharing this look, Rajkummar Rao wrote, “Happy Birthday our dear Dada.”
Sourav Ganguly also shared the post and wished Rajkumar good luck. He wrote: “Best gift ever! Can’t wait to see you play my cover drive!”
About Dadaism
The film is produced by directors Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg of Luv Films. The film will be directed by Vikramaditya Motwane.
In an interview with PTI in July 2025, Ganguly said that Rao was the right choice to portray him.
“I think the right person is doing this… I will help him in every way,” said the former player, who is considered one of India’s most successful captains.
Significant moment
Back in 2002, in the NatWest series final against Nasser Hussain’s side, India had lost nine ODI finals in a row. After England posted a huge total of 325 for 5, the pressure was squarely on the visitors.
Marcus Trescothick (109) and Hussain (115) weakened the Indian bowling attack, putting up a 185-run stand for the second wicket; Chasing a big target, India were reduced to 146 for 5 after openers Ganguly (60) and Virender Sehwag (45) gave a 106-run start.
The series that changed Indian cricket forever 🇮🇳🏏
📹 | Relive the famous #NatWestSeries victory as #TeamIndia made history by beating 🏴֠͠ResultS Football on their home turf and Dada was celebrated for generations 😍🫶#SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND | @SGanguly99 pic.twitter.com/QJ7ZqnwWXU
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 13, 2023
But just when England’s victory seemed inevitable, two Indian youngsters – Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh – were in possession with a fearless display of batting.
The pair added 121 runs in an aggressive sixth-wicket partnership that brought India back to a position from which they could secure victory, with a thrilling two-wicket win eventually sealed by Kaif and Zaheer Khan (4 not out) in the final over.
In response to the nerve-wracking victory, Ganguly waved his Indian jersey on the Lord’s balcony before running onto the field to hug the batsmen.