I like Abhishek Bachchan. And I would have liked him even if he were not Amitabh Bachchan’s son. Or an actor. I have been friends with his father since the early 1990s. When Abhishek was a teenager. Studying in a Swiss college. A strapping young man with impeccable manners, old-world habits, and a dazzling smile. During the vacations, he would play cricket in the garden. Full of enthusiasm. Class and elegance. His father would pause in conversation with me to watch him fondly. I knew then Abhishek
would be either a cricketer or an actor. He became an actor. But cricket continued to run in his blood. And in Sr. Bachchan’s as well. I have seen Father and Son excitedly change into Mumbai Indian colors when the IPL was on and Nita Ambani’s team came out to play on the giant screen in their TV room. Now, as it turns out, in his film ‘Ghoomer’ released yesterday, Abhishek plays a cricketer. There’s no scene of him playing the game, unfortunately. That’s because filmmaker R. Balki, whom I greatly
admire, has shown him as a failed, cynical, and bitter ex-Test cricketer who hits the bottle after his career accidentally came to an end in his first and only match for India. He doesn’t give up the
drink till the last frame of the film. I can tell you this with much conviction, there are few actors who
can play the drunkard with greater pathos and comedy than Sr. Bachchan in the Hindi film industry, but in ‘Ghoomer’ – Abhishek aces his father! See the film. It’s an outstanding and inspiring sports drama. As an alcoholic coach to Saiyami Kher (tall and lissome, with lovely legs, hazel eyes, curly hair tumbling down to her shoulders, and an abundance of talent) who was to represent Team India and then lost her right hand in a car crash, he imparts life lessons with skewered philosophy, some gritty Rocky-like
training, and producing a winner. I have always believed that champions are born out of challenges. ‘Ghoomer’ goes on to prove that. The film has scored an incredible 9.8/10 rating on IMDb, the Internet Movie Database. Every Bollywood film critic has rated it 4/5 stars. And, what’s more, several Team India greats, like Kapil Dev, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Sourav Ganguly, Ajinkya Rane, Parthiv Patel, and Murali Kartik have heaped handsome praise on ‘Ghoomer’ and the rousing performances of Abhishek and Saiyami. Also rival cricketing talents like David Warner and Rashid Khan. Surely they all know what good cricket is about. I am happy for Abhishek, He has his cake and eats it too.
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have been featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.
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