Dada first look out: Former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly has had a remarkable long career where he was leading the Indian cricket team with real distinction, and also made big contributions to the country, in a rather steady way over the years. A film based on his life is now in the works, titled Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story. Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao will be playing the lead role. Rajkummar shared the first look poster of the film on Sourav Ganguly’s birthday. While the poster recreated the iconic jersey-swinging moment from Ganguly’s career, it has triggered a wave of reactions on social media, with many trolls quick to share their opinions.
In the first look, Rajkummar recreates precisely the very specific expression of Ganguly during the historic moment from 24 years ago. Back in 2002, the Indian cricket team defeated England on the latter’s home turf of the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London in the final of the NatWest Series.
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While many fans were excited by Rajkummar Rao's look, a large section of social media was calling him a misfit for the role. One user wrote, "What a joke! ChatGPT could have edited this better." Another commented, "No, brother, someone else deserved this role, not you." Another user wrote, "This looks like a photoshopped poster. Is it really a poster?"
Another said, "Rajkummar Rao isn't bad in his role, but he's not a perfect match for the role." Several users even demanded the poster's removal, saying it looked as if the poster creator had just learned Photoshop last night.
However, many fans believe it's too early to judge an actor based solely on the poster. Now, all eyes are on the film's teaser and Rajkummar Rao's transformation.
The announcement of Dada, a biopic on Sourav Ganguly, has already made headlines. It will be interesting to see how convincingly Rajkummar Rao portrays the "Prince of Kolkata" on screen. His first look is currently generating widespread discussion online.
The Best Gift Ever! Can’t wait to see you play my cover drive! #RajkummarRao#Dada #DadaTheSouravGangulyStory #DadaFirstLook pic.twitter.com/TqHsWn2Eg8
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) July 8, 2026
Ganguly took to his X handle on Wednesday morning and shared the first look poster. “The Best Gift Ever! Can’t wait to see you play my cover drive! #RajkummarRao,” he wrote in the caption. Rajkummar, as well as Dada director Vikramaditya Motwane, also shared the poster on their Instagram handles, wishing “our dearest Dada” a very happy birthday. The tagline on the poster aptly reads, “He didn’t just play the game, he changed it.”
