By News18
After drawing acclaim for his compelling work on Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli, filmmaker Raghav Khanna returns with a powerful new documentary 鈥 Unbroken: The Unmukt Chand Story. The film traces the tumultuous yet inspiring journey of Unmukt Chand, once hailed as the future of Indian cricket, who chose to leave his dreams of donning the Indian jersey behind and start afresh on foreign soil.
Unbroken isn鈥檛 a traditional sports documentary. It is an intimate, emotional account of a young cricketer鈥檚 fall from grace, his quiet resilience, and his unwavering pursuit of purpose, even when the world moved on. From lifting the U-19 World Cup trophy for India to walking away from domestic cricket at just 28, Chand鈥檚 story is one of shattered expectations and second chances.
鈥淟ooking back, life has been a rollercoaster,鈥 Unmukt reflects in the film. 鈥淔rom winning the Under-19 World Cup to retiring from India at just 28 years of age. From being a poster boy to being trolled and then forgotten鈥擨 have lived in the extremities of public opinion.鈥
Initially hesitant to revisit these chapters, Unmukt credits director Raghav Khanna for helping him see his story in a new light. 鈥淭he experience of filming the documentary with him was cathartic. I feel it鈥檚 a story that will resonate with many people who do not get what they want but are still determined enough to keep pursuing their path.鈥
For Khanna, the draw was in the stark contrast between promise and outcome. 鈥淲hat drew me to Unmukt鈥檚 story was the inversion from being hailed as Indian cricket鈥檚 next big superstar to being shunned into obscurity,鈥 he says. 鈥淗is journey reflects on the competitive and unforgiving nature of professional sports, and perhaps of life itself, where a single moment鈥攐ften beyond our control鈥攃an undo years of hard work.鈥
Khanna, who previously led Netflix APAC鈥檚 documentary production and was behind acclaimed titles like The Elephant Whisperers, The Hunt for Veerappan, and House of Secrets, brings his signature lens of cinematic realism to Unbroken. 鈥淎t its core, this is a film about broken dreams, second chances, and the grace it takes to start over.鈥
The documentary has been produced by Riverland Entertainment and Tudip Entertainment, with Dipti Agrawal, Tushar Apshankar, and Raghav Khanna as producers, and Priyanka Chaudhari as co-producer. Though a release platform hasn鈥檛 been announced yet, the film is complete and expected to premiere soon.