Anirban Das (MID-DAY; October 8, 2015)

What brought Olympic medal-winning boxer Mary Kom to the stands of Pune’s Balewadi stadium for an Indian Super League match on Monday? A request from Hrithik Roshan. The actor, who owns the Pune franchise of the football tournament, spotted her training at the stadium and decided to invite her for his team’s first game.

Says a source, “Hrithik bumped into Mary and they got chatting. They discussed films as well as the importance of promoting football in India and how the league will help find talent across the country. While ending the conversation, the actor invited her for his team’s match in the evening.”

While Mary promptly obliged, she had to give the post-match dinner a miss. Confirming the news, the boxer from Manipur says, “I met Hrithik at the stadium and he requested me to watch his team’s match that evening. Since I was already there, I decided to support them. But, personally, I am a big supporter of NorthEast United FC. I could not attend the dinner due to other commitments.”