A teaser for the Shoaib Akhtar biopic, “Rawalpindi Express,” has been released amid a legal dispute; see it here.

Rawalpindi Express: A Shoaib Akhtar biopic’s first official trailer has arrived in the midst of a legal battle between the film’s subject and the studio behind the production. The role of the cricket icon has changed hands, with Mirza Gohar Rasheed taking over for Umair Jaswal.

Rasheed, as the purported Akhtar, is featured prominently in a short teaser that precedes the unexpected news. The official first look traces life from early adversity to overcoming formidable obstacles and ultimately reaching the pinnacle of triumph. With such a dramatic score accompanying the preview, though, one can’t help but wonder if this “biopic” is actually just a highly dramatized account of real events.

The preview has moments that are reminiscent of Ranbir Kapoor’s Sanju and others that make you question how realistic the story is meant to be. The tagline “Running against the odds” appears alongside the official title, which was filmed in 47 different locales over the course of 68 days. Rasheed plays the lead role, and the supporting cast includes Faran Tahir, Saleem Mairaj, Raheela Agha, Salman Shahid, Shafqat Cheema, Usman Peerzada, Umer Aalam, Hamza Khawaja, Rabita Ali, Faiza Khan, Omair Rana, Adnan Shah Tipu, Rahim Pardesi, Hammad Siddique, Baatin Farouqi, and more.

Intriguingly, Akhtar has now claimed that he has acquired a stay order against the producers of his purported biopic. Until the outcome of the aforementioned case is determined, the order prevents the production and distribution of the picture. “I have secured a stay order against the filming and release of the supposed biopic being made on my life by a certain group of people,” the famous cricketer wrote on social media. He added that everyone working on the initiative should be aware of the impending risk to their reputation if they are caught breaking the law.

To further explain the situation, Akhtar’s attorney included a notice on their Instagram story. The notice states that until a final decision is made in the ongoing legal battle, the producer of the biopic, Rawalpindi Express, is prohibited from shooting, filming, and releasing any part of the film to any media platform, including social media and cinema.