''Sumo Didi'' is a 2024 Indian

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

-language sports

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

on the life of

Hetal Dave Hetal Dave (born 8 December 1987) is India's first and only professional female sumo wrestler. In 2008, she made it into the Limca Book of Records. She participated in the 2009 World Games held in Taiwan, but went out in the first round. Per ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

's only professional female

sumo wrestler A , or, more colloquially, , is a professional sumo wrestler. follow and live by the centuries-old rules of the sumo profession, with most coming from Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Participation in official ...

. The film is the directorial debut of Jayant Rohatgi, and stars Shriyam Bhagnani in title role with Chaitnya Sharma, Anubha Fatehpura, Nitesh Pandey, and Raghav Dheer. The film has been showcased at multiple film festival including 2023 Tokyo International Film Festival, 2024

Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 1989 ...

, and 24th

New York Indian Film Festival The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in New York City, and screens films relating to India, the Indian Diaspora, and the work of Indian filmmakers. The festival began in November 2001 and was foun ...

. The rousing biopic follows Hetal who sets out for

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

to endure rigorous training and discover a potential she never knew she had. The film premiered at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival. The film is produced by Fresh Lime Films, Jio Studios, and Japanese advertising giant Hakuhodo’s MA&TH or Marching Ants & Trigger Happy Entertainment. It is the only Indian

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

to be showcased in 2 different film festivals in 2024.

Plot

The Hindi language

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

tells the story of Hetal Dave, a talented female wrestler who discovers sumo wrestling by chance. She trains hard to achieve her dreams, even as she battles social prejudices and patriarchal mindsets tackling objectification of women and

fat shaming Social stigma of obesity is broadly defined as bias or discriminatory behaviors targeted at overweight and obese individuals because of their weight. Such social stigmas can span one's entire life, as long as excess weight is present, starting ...

Cast

Production

Development

To prepare for the title role of Hetal Dave, actress Shriyam Bhagnani had to undergo several months of rigorous physical training. As the role is of a sumo wrestler, she also put on a lot of weight (14 kilos at least). She also collaborated with celebrity trainer Sahil Rasheed to build muscle mass and enhance her athleticism. She also trained with Hetal Dave to learn sumo wrestling.

Filming

Sumo Didi has been shot extensively in Japan, where sumo wrestling is the national sport; and in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

of India, where it is not even a recognized sport.

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, India, Film, Bollywood 2024 films 2020s Hindi-language films Films shot in Japan Films set in India 2024 biographical drama films Indian biographical drama films 2020s biographical films Indian films based on actual events Sports films based on actual events Biographical films about sportspeople 2024 directorial debut films Films about women in India Indian feminist films