This picture of a man with a six-pack downing a glass of milk or lassi could well pass off for a body double of Bollywood megastar Salman Khan. Except that he is not. It is Sooraj Pancholi, the son of actors Zarina Wahab and Aditya Pancholi, posing in a promotional for the latest film, Hawa Singh, where he is the hero.
Sooraj was last seen in the film Satellite Shankar.
On Tuesday Bollywood sensation Salman Khan teased moviegoers with a gripping first look of the much anticipated biopic of the Indian heavyweight champion, Hawa Singh.
Indians have worn the famed boxer’s successive winning streak as their badge of honour for years, and Salman joins the swell with a panegyric tweet in support of Sooraj’s new endeavour.
In response to the tweet, the 29-year-old actor rushed to post a quoted reply of his own: “Won’t let u down sir!”
Director Prakash Nambiar sang praises of the young actor and his craft: “The manner in which a young boy from a small village Umarvas transformed himself into a champion boxer is inspirational. Sooraj is young and fits like a glove into the character. His efforts, approach and honesty towards the role and this motivating story surprised me and made my belief in him stronger.”
Reigning as the National Boxing Champion for a staggering period of 11 years (1961-1972), Hawa Singh remained a force to be reckoned with throughout his career. Honorary prizes such as the Arjuna Award in 1966 and the Dronacharya Award in 1999 marked his stellar sportsmanship. Singh also nabbed the Asian Games heavyweight gold medal in 1966 and 1970, a record yet to be broken.
Indo-Asian News Service