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Preeti Kulkarni (DNA; May 3, 2016)

Enlarge ImageSaqib Saleem has a rather peculiar role to play in Rohit Dhawan’s action flick Dishoom (out July 29), which stars Varun Dhawan and John Abraham. He plays a character closely modelled on India’s star cricketer Virat Kohli!

It’s a lesser known fact that Saqib played cricket for Jammu & Kashmir before he began his acting career. As such, he has seen Virat play in his teen years. Adds a source close to the film, “Saqib was aware of Virat’s skills, while the latter was an under-19 player. He first saw Virat play on a Delhi ground way before the actor became part of the Indian cricket team.”

Also, familiarity with the game, ensured that Saleem was a natural at wielding the willow. “Also,” the source continued, “While he may not know Virat personally, Saqib has followed his game closely and that has, sort of, helped him.”