Bollywood's latest movie "Victory," which has a cricket theme, had its global premiere in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo on Friday, a co-producer said.
Shot in India, Sri Lanka, Australia and Pakistan, "Victory" centres around a father who dreams his young son, Vijay Shekhawat, will rise from a small village in Rajasthan to play for the Indian cricket team.
"The film combines what Indians love best -- cricket, music and Bollywood movies," said Sri Lankan producer Chandran Rutnam, who handled the Colombo leg of the shooting.
The star-studded cast includes Bollywood big names such as Hurman Baweja (who plays Vijay Shekhawat), Amrita Rao and Gulshan Grover.
But the biggest draw is some 60 international cricketers including Brett Lee, Harbhajan Singh, Atul Wassan, Dinesh Kartik, Mike Hussey, Shoaib Malik, Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan, Rutnam said.
"The international cricketers playing themselves gives an authentic feel to the film," he told AFP.
For "Victory" director Ajitpal Mangat, meeting the stars of the game has been one of the highlights of the marathon shoot.
"I always wanted to make a movie on cricket. And this is the tribute to my life long obsession," Mangat said in a statement.
Ratnam said the premiere was shifted from Dubai to Colombo to co-incide with India's short tour of Sri Lanka, which ends on February 11.
The premiere was in Colombo’s Regal Theater in the presence of players from the Sri Lankan and Indian cricket teams and Bollywood stars Amrita Rao, Hurman Baweja and Gulshan Grover.
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