Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were the undoubted champion tennis doubles players India has ever seen. Their records are staggering.
Paes and Bhupathi, in the 1990s, formed a formidable team with both becoming the No. 1 ranked doubles pair in the world and winning three Grand Slam titles together.
The pair, nicknamed the ‘Indian Express’, played together from 1994 to 2006 before re-uniting for a second stint from 2008 to 2011.
Bhupathi won eight mixed and four men’s doubles majors, while Paes had ten mixed and eight men’s doubles titles. The latter won his last men’s doubles title at the 2013 US Open and mixed at the 2016 French Open.
Their fairytale pairing, and a bitter fallout later, is a story worth telling.
And that is what Zee5 has set out to do.
Zee5 has partnered with the award-winning filmmaker duo Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari to helm a sports docu drama based on the on-court glory and off-court lives of the duo.
- Zee5 launches in the US with 130,000-plus hours of content
- 5 interesting films and series on Indian OTT platforms this week
- Malik, Sarpatta Parambarai, Toofaan lead Amazon Prime Video's 8-day extravaganza
A tale of unparalleled success
Titled, almost inevitably, 'Break Point', the show will mark Zee5’s first partnership with filmmakers, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari under their banner Earthsky Pictures who are known for their movies like Dangal, Panga, Chhichhore, Nil Battey Sannata, Bareilly Ki Barfi and many more.
That something like this is in the pipeline was conveyed through a Twitter banter between Paes and Bhupathi, on July 4, the 22nd anniversary of their ionic Wimbledon win.
The series will seek to re-create their friendship, their passion for the sport, the intricacies of their relationships and the strains on it in the context of unparalleled success.
Speaking about the offering, Punit Misra, President – Content and International Markets, Zee Entertainment Enterprises said, “ Break Point is our effort to bring to our countrymen and to the world the told, but more importantly, the untold story of these adored champions of India.”
22 years ago today, we became the first Indians to win @Wimbledon. As two young boys all we dreamt of was making our country proud! 🎾🌱🏆 @Maheshbhupathi #LeeHesh pic.twitter.com/TWFj3imCoZJuly 4, 2021
"A sensitive mix of achievement and conflict"
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari in a joint statement said, “Break Point is an emotionally moving human story of India’s biggest sports legends and their incredible journey through the ups and downs in their professional and personal life. Through this show, we will witness an exemplary story of hard-work, conflict, belief, emotions and ambitions and showcase some of the most iconic moments of Indian tennis."
“Our 20-year journey has been a sensitive mix of achievement, conflict, success, disappointments, and friendship. There is no one better to document this than Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari," said Mahesh Bhupathi.
"Friendships are what enrich our lives, and in Break Point, people will witness the tests a true friendship needs to go through to survive. I can't wait for everyone to witness it unfold on Zee5”, added Leander Paes.
The streaming platform did not reveal when the shoot will be done and completed, and when will it stream.
