I still have a long way to go: Satnam Singh Bhamara

KAMINEY (2009)

This was the first time we saw him with six pack abs. However, it didn’t come easy for the actor. “Vishal (Bhardwaj) told me he had a scene where he wanted me running with horses. Since this was to be a topless scene, it took me nearly a year of following a strict diet and exercise routine to build my body to give it a sprinter’s look,” he was quoted as saying at the time.

Satnam Singh Bhamara’s (left) journey from Ballo Ke, a village in Punjab, to National Basketball Association (NBA), USA, wasn’t really smooth. The basketball player says that many still don’t know that he went through a lot of hardships to be where he is today. And he is happy that filmmaker Roman Gackowski’s documentary –– One In A Billion, not just delves deep into his life’s struggles with perfection, but also highlights the kind of person that he is in real life. “The film shows my humility, and the warm connection that I have with my father. It also depicts the struggles and hardships I had to endure in Punjab and then in the US, before I was drafted in NBA. People would see me play and think ‘he is so big and still plays’, without realising the fact that it’s just my height that makes me look big, but mentally I am a 10-year-old,” says Satnam.

He further shares how the documentary shows the part when he faced difficulty in finding the right shoe size and finally when he did find one, how happy he was. “The documentary, in a very short duration, has showcased some of these important moments of my life, and this makes it even closer to my heart,” he says.

Satnam is happy with his progress but says that there’s still a long way to go. “I don’t think it is fame that I need to handle. I have achieved so much, but I have a long way to go. I am glad that everyone knows me by my name. It feels great to see my family being proud of me.”