If you had to pick between MS Dhoni: The Untold Story or Azhar, which biopic would you choose?

It goes without saying that cricket is akin to a religion in India. And with the nation hosting the ICC T20 World Cup, everyone seems to have caught the cricket fever.

In this cricket frenzied environment, India's other long-standing love affair, Bollywood, seems to have taken it upon itself to churn out a few cricket-themed films this year. Not one but two biopics on Indian cricket captains are currently in the works.

The first, a film on the life of Mohammad Azharuddin and the other, on Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The films are scheduled to be released in May and September this year, respectively.

While both the biopics have their own Unique Selling Points, Catch takes a closer look at the factors that may work for, and the ones that may work against, the two films.

Azhar

The biopic on Mohammad Azharuddin is a long-overdue project. The former Indian captain has often made headlines not just for his on field records and cricketing prowess but also for his antics off the filed - including the match-fixing scandal in 2000 and a highly-publicised affair with model-turned-actress, Sangeeta Bijlani.

Azharuddin's life seems to have been made for the big screen. The cricketer, who hails from a minority community, has fought tooth and nail to shrug off the match fixing controversy.

Since not many know the real story behind the cricketer, it would be interesting to see how the Tony D'Souza directorial chronicles the ups and downs of the careers of one of India's most successful captains.

Emraan Hashmi seems to be the perfect choice to play Azharuddin on the big screen. And according to reports, the actor has been working hard to get into the skin of the character and to get the nuances right.

Also Read: Mohammad Azharuddin's biopic Azhar is the latest Bollywood offering on match-fixing in cricket

However, one thing that might work against the film is the track record of the director who has previously been associated with Box Office duds like Blue and Boss.

The teaser of Azhar was launched few months back and met with positive response.

Watch it here:

The movie releases on 13 May 2016.

MS Dhoni: The Untold Story

Mahendra Singh Dhoni today is undoubtedly one of the biggest sports personalities in the world.

The Champions Trophy, the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup are just a few of his achievements as the captain of Indian cricket team.

While his magic on the field is well known - and recorded - not much is known about Dhoni's personal life and his struggle.

The film has a trump card in the form of Neeraj Pandey - who is known for films like A Wednesday, Special 26 and Baby.

Also Read: MS Dhoni: The Untold Story teaser released; this is what you didn't know about the biopic

However, viewers expecting to watch a film about "Dhoni: The Cricketer" are in for a disappointment. The biopic seeks to focus on the personal aspect of MS Dhoni's life - including his struggle to achieve cricketing stardom and his love life. The film may also lose out on viewers who feel it is too early to make a biopic on Dhoni.

The movie stars Sushant Singh Rajput in lead. Watch the teaser of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story here:

The movie releases on 2 September.