This weekend, former cricket legend Shoaib Akhtar announced on Twitter that the biopic “Rawalpindi Express” based on his life will no longer be made, as he has distanced himself from the project and revoked all rights to his life story. The film, which was all set to release in November 2022 after several delays, was director Muhammad Faraz Qaiser’s long-time dream which he wanted to bring to fruition since 2016.
Taking to Twitter, Shoaib Akhtar shared a statement announcing his decision to distance himself from the project and the reason behind it. “Very sadly, I would like to inform all of you that after careful consideration of months, I have decided to disassociate myself from the film Rawalpindi Express and its makers by terminating the agreement through my management and legal team,” he started off.
“Definitely, it was a dream project and I tried a lot to prevent and stay in the boat but unfortunately, things were not going well. Failure to resolve disagreements amicably and constant contractual violations finally resulted in us to cut ties with them,” he continued.
“Therefore, I have left the project after complying all legal protocols of revoking the rights to the story of my life. Severe legal action will be taken if the makers continue to make biography film and use my name or life story events in any way,” he concluded.
Important announcement. pic.twitter.com/P7zTnTK1C0
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) January 21, 2023
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Earlier this month, singer and actor Umair Jaswal, who was supposed to play Shoaib Akhtar’s role in the film, also announced that he would no longer be part of the project, citing “creative and personal reasons” for his departure.