According to reports, Sandeep Patil’s son Chirag, is making his Bollywood debut. He will be playing the role of his father in Kabir Khan’s 83, that is based on the Indian cricket team’s historic World Cup win. Sandeep Patil played an integral role in the team’s World Cup campaign. He scored a quickfire 32-ball 51 against England in the all-important semifinals.
Chirag Patil, who will be starring alongside Ranveer Singh (playing Kapil Dev), is not the first from the cricketer’s family to be making a mark in Bollywood films. Father Sandeep Patil also pursued a career in Bollywood, which began and ended with 1985’s Kabhi Ajnabi The.
Patil Sr. starred in the film alongside Poonam Dhillon and Debashree Roy. He was also joined by team-mate Syed Kirmani, who played the role of the antagonist in the film. Lip-syncing to songs, dancing alongside his leading ladies and even participating in a fight (near the climax) with Kirmani, Sandeep Patil played the quintessential Bollywood ‘hero’ in his debut.
Apparently, he took his Bollywood dream really seriously, only after he was dropped from the team due to poor performance during a tour of England. Conjectures were made that Sandeep Patil even ‘opted out’ of a tour to West Indies because he was ‘obsessed’ about his acting career. Even though Patil clarified that he couldn’t participate in the said Test series because of an injury. There was plenty said about Patil’s proximity to his female lead, Debashree Roy. In spite of all the interest around the cricketer-turned-actor, the film turned out to be a debacle at the box office.
Patil got a few sassy reviews from sports journals too, with ESPN writing “he even aces the love-struck Hindi film hero’s signature move of producing notes from a guitar without moving either hand.” The Tribune wrote, “In contrast to their heroics in the 1983 World Cup, Patil and Kirmani were clean bowled on the big screen.”
(1985) Cricketer & former chief selector Sandeep Patil with Poonam Dhillon in the film ‘Kabhi Ajnabi The”. pic.twitter.com/wN6N9Rz4Bd
— Film History Pics (@FilmHistoryPic) September 22, 2017
Now, all this doesn’t necessarily mean much for Chirag Patil’s career as an actor, that has already begun with a Marathi film called Raada Rox. But it could serve as a reminder for the son from becoming complacent. Both Sandeep Patil and Syed Kirmani never played hero in a Bollywood film again. Maybe, Chirag can one-up his father with a successful Bollywood debut.
Kabir Khan’s 83 will trace the journey of a team, that began the tournament with the odds of 66/1 of winning it. Scripting a fairy-tale victory against 2-time champions West Indies, Kapil Dev’s team single-handedly ignited the country’s romance with cricket. Let’s see if the film turns out to be anywhere in the same league.
