Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 22, 2016)

Filmmaking may be the greatest love of Shoojit Sircar's life, but football has been as big a passion all along. Remember how he scored the goal that came off a flamboyant header during the Celebrity Clasico in June? Shoojit, a true blue Bengali, spends Sunday afternoons playing the game with his B-Town friends, including Ranbir Kapoor. We had even heard that the duo would take their love for football to the celluloid.

Shoojit, however, laughs off the rumours. "As soon as a director and actor meet, people think a film is cooking. Ranbir, Abhishek (Bachchan) and I bond over a common love for football. This bonding is way better than bonding over films. We practice and play together; there is a strange sense of familial feeling," he says.

By his own admission, the Sunday football ritual keeps Shoojit away from negativity and undue pressure. "We all look forward to meeting on the dusty playground where failure of films, break-ups and family woes don't matter. We leave everything behind and wait for 2.30 pm every Sunday when we play football; that's where no one cares who is who. All we care about is team spirit and that ball."

Clearly emotional, Shoojit mentions how football has "helped unite the industry". "Winning, losing and playing passes are the most beautiful moments in our lives these days. People forget about stardom when they come together on a common platform."