Nikkhil Advani to direct John Abraham in "1911"

John Abraham's much awaited dream project "1911" has found its director in Nikkhil Advani.

"1911" follows the story of footballer Shibdas Bhaduri, who captained the football team Mohun Bagan in the historic 1911 IFA Shield Final, where it defeated the East Yorkshire Regiment with a score of 2-1 to become the first Asian team to win the contest.

John, a football enthusiast and owner of ISL team NorthEast United FC, will portray Bhaduri in the film.

"What makes '1911' special is that it is not just about the coach, the players or even the game, it's also about India's freedom struggle. Like with 'Parmanu', the idea is to educate in an entertaining way," John said in a statement here.

Advani is thrilled to come aboard the project and said he always wanted to make a film, set in Kolkata, talking about its people, culture and heritage.

"'1911' is even better because it moves beyond Bengal to encompass all of India and its history. It's a huge responsibility to tell this story right as it's almost folklore to the people of Bengal as well as it's so close to John," the director said.

The film will be produced by John's production banner JA Entertainment, Advani's Emmay Entertainment and Bhushan Kumar's T-Series.

The project will go on floors in November 2019 and will be shot over three months in Kolkata. It will release in 2020.