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29 March 2024

Tendulkar on Sachin: A Billion Dreams

Sachin Tendulkar (FILE)

Published
By Sanskriti Media

Sachin Tendulkar may have perhaps dreamt of playing cricket for India and then dreamt of making a lot of runs for his country, but India's greatest cricketer till today never dreamt that he would have a film made on his life.

Sachin speaks about his film.

How does it feel being interviewed about a film on your life and yes, handling a press conference?

Well, I am feeling exactly the way I did during my first press conference in 1991 when I scored my first International hundred.

Until then, I had no idea about the concept of a press conference. So I actually ended up asking lot of the guys in the dressing room as to 'What i should be doing? What will they ask me,' etc There were these guys who also scared me saying that they will be asking me a lot of questions. I felt the same during the press conference of this film too.

This is special first for me. This movie is again not just about my cricket but also there are lot many other factors; other chapters in my life and that is something which we want to show everyone.

What do you think about being on the big screen for the first time?

Well, I never thought that something like this is going to happen in my life. All I wanted to do as a child was to pick up a cricket bat, play cricket for India and chase my dream. My dream started when I was only 10. I wanted to win the World Cup for India; hold that trophy. And I started playing cricket and along the way, you know, a lot many things happened in my life but they were all real.

There were no retakes and everything happened in front of the whole world. So we could not actually say if something went wrong, "Okay, let us plan and do it again."

That was in the next match but that match was done; if you were out, it was over. So everything happened there and then when I had to be prepared for all the adversities, when I had to be prepared for all those challenges. There were some incredible moments and that is something, you know, we've been able to capture.

I'm really excited because it's a new experience for me to work with director James (Erskine) who's had so much experience and has shown a different side of me, which not many people have seen.

People have seen me play cricket and have a few other interactions but there are lot more things in my movie.

When a movie happens and so many research angles come in and they talk to you, do you find out thing about yourself you didn't know?

I get to know a lot of things, you know. I dont want to reveal everything here, but there are lot of things that I wasn't aware of and they have been captured on camera.

Everyone has a Sachin moment in their life when they relate dates from your career with their life. Did you have one?
There is no toss here. It is the world cup finals! I dont think there is a greater cricketing moment for me in my life. Just 2-3 days ago I was travelling with my daughter; She came to watch the IPL match. And I asked her this question, "Do you remember how that evening it was, 2nd of April?"

She spoke about what an incredible a feeling that was. It took us hours to get back to Taj Hotel from Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai; The whole country went berserk and that is one moment I want to live for. In 1983 when I saw Kapil Dev holding that beautiful trophy, that was the moment I started chasing my dream, trying to get to that moment and it eventually happened.

You are a very private person and when you put your life on celluloid  did you think how much could you share?

I am a private person but over a period of time I've also figured out, there are certain things which people want to see, that people want to know.

And I've made all possible efforts to live up to their expectations and what I also feel comfortable with. Somebody asked me as to what was the first film I had seen.

I remember I was around 3, when I saw a Dharmendra movie called Maa.

We were going by bus to see the movie and the bus conductor asked where do you need a ticket to and I remember telling him I want the ticket to see the film Maa.

You got your name from Bollywood music composer, Sachin Dev Burman. How fond of you of movies?

I love cinema. I see a lot of films. There are many films that have stayed with me throughout my life. those films are timeless, they still make you smile or think when you recollect moments from the films.