Biopic of Zubin Patel, India’s most famous biker. (English, Hindi, Parsi, Gujrati)

After Zubin, India’s most successful bike racer suffers a life-threatening crash, he has to struggle for 10 years to make a comeback. The next big struggle is to decide whether to let his son follow his footsteps as a professional racer.

SYNOPSIS:

Registered @ www.fwa.co.in on 2016-04-21 09:13:00 © Ajit K. Varghese

OFF_ROAD is a sports biopic about badly injured motorcycle racer Zubin Patel, who wants to make a return to the track.

But when faced with his 11 year old son's career choice of motorcycle racing, he must relive his family's forty year old racing tradition, which seems impossible to continue, because of his own physical and mental damage. The Patel family's love for motorsports began in the 1960s, with two brothers Kersi M Patel and Fali M Patel. While Fali went on to become a dirt track national champion, Kersi proved his mettle both on and off the track. Fali's eldest son Kaizad went on to become national champion multiple times in motocross, rallying and dirt track.

But the real star was Zubin K Patel, Kersi's second son. For 6 consecutive years Zubin (Zed) was the Indian National Champion in all 3 categories - Motocross, Cross Country Rallying and Monsoon Scooter Rally. In 1997 he won the International Motocross in Sri Lanka and the Asia Pan PacificChampionship. His many special awards include the Best All Parsi Motor Bike Champion in 1998 by the Union Press of India, Excellence Award in 2 Wheeler Moto Sports in 2005 by the All Parsi Sports Association celebrating 25 years in the field of Parsi Sports. The golden moment in his career came when he was awarded the Shivaji Chhatrapati Sports Award 2002-2003 by the Maharashtra Sports Association. He was the only

Parsi to receive this award in the Motor Sports Category. In the film, these will be shown intercut with Zubin's dramatic riding exploits.

Zubin by now was a racing legend across India. At the peak of his fame, Zubin's motorsports career, however, took an unfortunate turn when he met a near fatal injury in the Raid de Himalayas in 2000. Ina dramatic turn of events, when Zubin was injured, Rustom (younger brother) was in the last round of the MRF Supercross National Championship in Bangalore. Rustom wanted to come back, but his father Kersi

insisted, "Win the race for Zubin". Rustom won both races and became a national champion for the first time in his career.

Zubin was in a coma for 21 days with his wife, 7 months pregnant at the time, praying fervently for his recovery. He got out of it, but was not in the physical condition to race professionally. Alongside, he also lavished his affections on his son, Kayan, maybe both learning to walk and run together. His family also stopped him from risking his health and life again. But a true champion cannot be stopped. Zubin kept on

practicing, for 10 years, slowly regaining his riding skills. Finally, with his wife's support, he made a comeback to the track on 17 July 2011 in the Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally, eventually finishing third. The Indian racing fraternity and fans stood up and cheered, to welcome him back.

Zubin now runs a scooter workshop, RNZ Service Station in Mazgaon along with his brothers Rustom and Neville. He along with Ilyas Bham and Ganesh Shetty, organized Racing Blues, a motocross event for young riders in Airoli. Rustom launched his bike training institute, Bikers Academy at the I-Land Recreation Centre in Wadala. (Trained Loretta Mathew D'lomen) And the third generation of the Patel family is not far

behind. Zubin's son Kayan, 11, started riding at 7. When he tells his father Zubin, that he wants to race professionally, Zubin is faced with a moral challenge. Does he have the courage to let his only son face the same risks that he took so sportingly?

The whole drama of the film is the challenges faced by Zubin, and not least in allowing his son to follow the family tradition of bike racing.