‘I HAVE AN IMMENSE SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT’

A football fanatic, actor Ranveer Singh gets ready to take up a new role, as he talks about the popularity of the sport in India

Amid the controversy around his next film, Padmavati, Ranveer Singh has enough reasons to celebrate. The actor, who has been named the brand ambassador for English Premier League (EPL) in India, was in England over the weekend to watch his first match of the season. In an exclusive chat with HT, Ranveer talks about his new role, Indian football, and more.

You’re vocal about your love for football and support for Arsenal. How big a deal is this for you?

I feel like I’m on top of the world. I have an immense sense of achievement. It’s a huge honour. I’m a big fan of football, and within the gamut of football, the one thing that I love the most is EPL. To be the official brand ambassador of this league in India is a real big deal for me.

Did you ever consider becoming a professional football player? When you’re growing up, you play these little games with yourself where you pretend to be a sports star, because it’s one of the most glorious things one can do. I imagined myself as a footballer and cricketer, but... as far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a Hindi film hero more than anything else. So, I’m kind of living the dream in that sense, and this is also a dream come true. It doesn’t get better than this.

The younger generation is taking a keen interest in football. It’s truly a global game. It won’t be long before our national team [goes to] the World Cup RANVEER SINGH ACTOR

Is it an exciting time to be an ambassador for football in India? It’s a very exciting time. Traditionally, we’ve always had cricket at the forefront, and that continues to be the case. But there’s no denying that football is growing by leaps and bounds. The younger generation is taking a keen interest in football. It’s truly a global game. It won’t be long before our national football team represents India in the World Cup.

Also, sport teaches you a lot. When I was in school, I was in the football team and the cricket team. I can’t boast of having the best skills, but I played with a lot of heart. The values and attitude that sport teaches can be very enriching for a young mind. I’m always encouraging of youngsters getting involved in any kind of sport, and it’s so heartening to see how youngsters in India have taken to football.

[Earlier], we were only consuming cricket, but now there’s an entire generation that has grown up watching football [on TV] and are bigger football fans. Football is catching up with the popularity of cricket in India, and that’s huge.

A lot of your Bollywood peers own football teams. Did you ever want to go down that path?

There have been several opportunities, but I’ve always believed that I can’t force an association. So when this opportunity came, I jumped at it and I was like, absolutely. I held back waiting for the one thing that felt right, and I’m content with my decision.