Azharuddin: Emraan looks like me, he captured my mannerisms superbly

A sports film on the life of ex-cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin's life 'Azhar' will be released next week. The movie is about Azharuddin's life from Hyderabad to international cricket and the film ends in 2000 when his career came to an end after 99th Test.
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During an interview to TheHindu.com he said, "It's not a bio-pic. It's a gist of events that took place in my life.Some good, some heart-breaking. Not everything you read in the public domain is accurate. This is an effort to set some things right. It shows my contribution to the game. It tells you about some dark days of my life. It confirms the vindication of my stand that I was innocent. It has parts of my story, not in full, but enough to give an indication of my stand.'
Azharuddin said that he was not keen initially. He said, " They were after me for almost 18 months. Sometime in late 2014 I said yes. The script has my approval and it gives my side of the story.
Talking about Emraan Hashmi he said, "He's worked hard. I spent a lot of time and he was so receptive. He has done an excellent job, captured my mannerisms superbly. I was his coach on how to play some of my shots. He looks like me. See it for yourself.'
READ ALSO: Emraan Hashmi: Took liberty to up entertainment quotient in 'Azhar'
He added, "People said so many things but I tackled it my way. There were things not in my control. I had to be patient. I couldn't fight destiny. I also can't recover those 12 hard years of my life (post 2000). The movie brings this aspect out very well. It details my cricket life and my personal life; my good and bad times and how I overcame that period. There are cricket shots and there are songs even though I never sang in real life. I would request my fans to watch it with a positive mind. It's not a blame-movie. I don't blame anyone for whatever happened to me. It was my destiny.