Actors of film Zero to Hero Photo: VCG

Zero to Hero, an upcoming film based on the real life story of Paralympic gold medalist So Wa-wai is set to debut in Chinese mainland cinemas on Saturday. Debuting during the ongoing Tokyo Paralympic Games, the new film pays homage and calls for more attention to be paid to those physically disabled but mentally powerful athletes.   

The film tells the true story of So Wa-wai, a talented track and field athlete who was born in Hong Kong in 1981 with jaundice, which affected his hearing and control of his limbs. The movie emphasizes his relationships with his mom, played by famous Hong Kong actress Sandra Ng, and how she encouraged her son to keep his head up and pursue his athletic dreams.  

China's legendary sprinter Su Bingtian, who accomplished a record-breaking performance at the Tokyo Olympic Games' 100 meter's competition, appeared to be excited about the new film, calling So (whose surname is the same as Su's, but pronounced differently in Cantonese), the real "Su God" - a nickname given to Su by Chinese netizens - on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo on Tuesday. 

Su said that he is happy to see So's story be adapted to film and emphasized that "It is the same gold, Paralympic athletes deserve more applause." 

The sport star's post made the Hong Kong athlete's name noticed by more netizens on Sina Weibo, and raised their expectations about the upcoming film. 

"I understand what Su means; if the Olympics show one's physical peak, the Paralympics shows one's mental peak. I can't wait to watch the film," said a netizen on Sina Weibo.

In an interview about the film with Hong Kong actor Louis Koo, Ng, who also produced Zero to Hero and has also called for the public to pay more attention to the disabled athlete issue, stressed that the film will touch upon the topic of "equal pay" to disabled athletes. 

Promotional material for film Zero to Hero Photo: Sina Weibo

"The bonuses received for a Paralympic gold medal and an Olympic gold medal are very different... This movie really wants to let everyone know about the concept of equal pay for equal work."

Similar calls from celebrities such as Ng have caused netizens to pay more attention to the unequal attention given between the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

"In my view, the Paralympics has been incorrectly seen by some people as an 'attachment' of the Olympics, and compares it like it was 'out of the mainstream.' Also, if there is no audience, there are no sports, meaning sports need viewers. However, by viewing the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, a non-disabled viewer's mentality can become very different, very compassionate, sympathy over passion. This can affect one's interest in the Games, because the interesting point is that it is supposed to be competitive," Tommy Cui, a sport insider, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

"This film may perform well at the box office because the studio has chosen a brilliant time to show it. Also, such topics always throw a positive 'emotional bomb' to people that can attract more audiences," Li Qi, a film insider, said. 

Promotional material for film Zero to Hero Photo: Sina Weibo