Showing posts with label Sachin Tendulkar interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sachin Tendulkar interview. Show all posts
Amitabh Bachchan turns 75: Sachin Tendulkar reveals why he is the eternal Big B 'fanboy'
11:15 AM
Gautam Bhattacharya (MID-DAY; October 11, 2017)
On the occasion of Amitabh Bachchan’s 75th birthday, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar speaks about his earliest memories of watching the Big B on screen, his first experience of meeting the megastar back in 1993, what Bachchan movies taught him about aggression and how his son Arjun almost played party pooper during another occasion.
They talk about a trio that occupies a special place in India’s psyche - Mangeshkar, Bachchan, Tendulkar. This is a super special league in terms of admiration, respect and consistency...
I certainly do not belong to that league. Please remove my name [laughs]. I agree it’s a special league, but it’s meant for only two of them — Lataji and Amitji. Period.
You are being humble..
This is no humility. I grew up listening to Lataji’s songs and watching Mr Bachchan’s movies. They are cult figures. The best part about them is that they are endlessly perfecting their craft.
From which areas can one draw inspiration from them?
There are plenty. To start with, both are so humble. My father kept talking about this value called humility. The way these two carry themselves make me understand what he had exactly meant. Another very important quality — they are never satisfied with what they have achieved. There is still so much intensity left in them even after so many years! I marvel at the way they keep pushing. Look at Amit ji, isn’t it mesmerizing the way he keeps on reinventing himself?
Where did you first meet Amitabh Bachchan?
He was already part of the system since childhood [laughs]. But the first time I met him in the flesh was in Delhi in 1993. A special dinner was thrown for the Indian team. It was attended by several celebrities from other walks of life came. Amitji happened to be there.
Tell us about your first meeting with the superstar.
It was fabulous. He was gracious and appreciative of my cricket. Before leaving, he wished me luck, which was a big boost.
Many cricketers have found his action movies inspiring. Are you one of them?
When I was very young, I watched his movies just for the sake of watching them. At that stage, what perhaps drew me was the action part. At different stages of life, you admire the same thing for different reasons. As you grow older, you realise how difficult it must have been for Amitji to enact those roles. Later on, of course, I saw him doing everything — be it emotional, aggressive, tragic or romantic [roles].
It would have been terrible if I was walking out to bat & nobody expected anything from me-Sachin Tendulkar
8:16 AM
Roshni Olivera (BOMBAY TIMES; May 26, 2017)
Every time he stepped out to
bat, there was a thundering applause. Billions of Indians pinned their
hopes on him as he swung his golden bat, match after match, for over two
decades. Anyone would have buckled under those kind of expectations,
but not Sachin Tendulkar. He's made of a different mettle. While his
insurmountable achievements are well-documented, he has always kept a
low profile on the personal front. What is barely known is what went on
in the mind of this cricketing genius when he stepped on to the field,
perhaps on a difficult day, to give his team a much-needed big start.Or
how he dealt with the lows that a sportsman experiences. His movie
Sachin: A Billion Dreams, which releases this week, promises to give his
fans a glimpse into this and his much-guarded personal life, including
his private moments with his family. In a brief chat with Bombay Times,
the Master Blaster speaks about all things dear to him, with cricket,
of course, topping the list. Excerpts...
We hear it took a lot of convincing from producer Ravi Bhagchandka to get you to agree to this film. Why were you reluctant at first?
Yes, I was reluctant. I told Ravi, 'Once a sportsperson, always a sportsperson. I don't want to act! I am not going to act or dance here because that's not me; I am a private person'. He explained to me that they wanted to capture everything from real life. He said, 'It's not fiction. Everything that has happened in your life is what we will show'. So, that's when I agreed to do it. Yes, people have seen everything that has happened in my life, but they also don't know a lot of things. They don't know what I went through, what was going on in my mind during the highs or the lows. We have tried to capture all of that in the film, along with a lot of personal videos which nobody has seen. Some of the family videos are pretty interesting and nobody has had access to those. I fully understand that if you are making a movie, fans would like to see something more than what they have seen in the last 25 years. So, we have tried to balance it out. Whatever my family was comfortable sharing, is part of the film.
Being an icon brings along with it a certain amount of pressure. So, how tough was it each time you went out there to bat, knowing that practically every cricket lover in the country was pinning hopes on you?
In a way, it was good that people expected something from me. It would have been terrible if I was walking out to bat, and nobody expected anything from me. I wouldn't want to be there then. I took it positively and always told myself that people were expecting something from me because I was capable of delivering it. And finally, it's all about preparing yourself, which is most important; the results will follow. When you are preparing yourself for a big game, it's about positive reinforcement and how you convert those messages that you get from different parts of the world. Yes, there are expectations, but eventually, it's about what you tell yourself, how you make yourself believe in your strengths and then, go out there and give it your best.
How did you cope with the lows in your career?
There are highs and lows and you do get disappointed, to the extent that you don't enjoy anything once you come back to your hotel room after a game that hasn't gone well. Until the time you get back on the field and do something special, that feeling is constantly there with you. That's how it should be because you feel that way only if you care about something deeply. Not just during the matches, even if I had a bad practice session, my evening would be terrible. I would keep wondering why that happened. I care about cricket and I'm sure it's the case with my colleagues, too.
Did you rediscover yourself through the making of this movie?
I have been able to relive all those moments through the making of this film. I have often told myself, 'Wow! All these things actually happened in my life'. It was also very touching to see the videos from the past.
You preferred to keep a low profile even when you were playing. Was that a personality trait or a conscious decision that you took for your game?
It's our lifestyle. I come from a middle-class family with very strong values and principles. It was more about staying focussed on the game. The mantra at home was to stay focused on the game and let cricket always be in the foreground. Other things will happen in the background. The moment that reverses, your performance takes a dip. Even during a tournament, whether I had scored runs or failed, I would spend very little time thinking about the last match. I would con stantly be thinking about the next match. That was again the mantra at home - let the rest of the world discuss the last game, we talk about the next game. That endeavour to constantly try and better my performance helped me; I learnt that from my brother (Ajit Tendulkar). At home, everyone would stay balanced, whether I performed brilliantly or not. Parents always feel happy when their child does something good. My parents have always stood by me. In fact, when I didn't do well, they were even more supportive and encouraging. That's when you realise where your real strength lies, and my real strength has always been my family. And it's people's support that kept me going. I was walking out alone to bat, but I was representing so many people who contributed towards making me play better. So, it was not just me. As I always say, the records, the hundreds on field, belong to the entire nation.
Talking about family, your wife Anjali has also had a huge role to play...
Without a doubt. She understood me and very graciously took a backseat in her career. To move away from your career and sacrifice so many things for the happiness of the family, is truly remarkable.
With cricket being a religion in India, our cricketers are quite a pampered lot with all the adulation and brand endorsements that they get. Do you agree?
Who pampers them? That's a wrong word. People love them. And from my experience, I can tell you, that how much ever you are loved, it's never enough.
Do you miss playing the game?
After 24 years of playing the sport and after the kind of retirement I have had, I am content and thankful for everything that has happened in my life. Today, maybe I would play an odd exhibition game here and there, if at all.
What did you feel when you recently went to the playground at Shivaji Park where you started your career?
What an experience it was! We shot at the same spot where I had started my career. When I went there, I just stood there for a few minutes and recounted the moment when I had played the first ball of my career. It was a beautiful feeling. My cricket journey started there and after all these years, I went back to the same ground. It was like life coming full circle.
Don't you think it's high time other sports got their due? Of course, with the various leagues today, we are moving in that direction...
I have always felt very strongly about this. Today, the kabaddi league is doing well, there's badminton league, football league...without any doubt, brighter days are ahead. But believe me, things are not going to happen on their own. We will have to work really hard. Some people think that if you work hard for three months, you can get medals at the Olympics. It's not easy, because we have to remember that the rest of the world is also targeting those medals. The effort has to be consistent. I know it will happen and I'm hoping that it happens in the near future, but that near future is not in six months. It may take four or six or may be eight years.
What do you think about the many biopics being made on sports stars these days?
I like these biopics, as you get to know more about their lives. Many of them have been successful, too. Ravi (producer) came to me with a different idea, though.
Yes, but if there was a biopic to be made on you, which Bollywood star do you think would portray Sachin Tendulkar the best?
Right now, given the amount of effort that we have put in trying to gather all the information for our film, which is not just over the last 24 years but 44 years, I really need some time out. So I'm not thinking about anything else (laughs). I just need a break.
On a lighter note, since you've always been comfortable in front of the camera, as we've seen in the commercials you did earlier on, if not cricket, would you have liked to be an actor?
No, never! I would certainly be a sportsman only. If not cricket, then may be some other sport. I love playing any kind of sport. Cricket obviously has been my first love, but I enjoyed playing other sports too, be it tennis, badminton or table tennis. I even enjoyed playing kabaddi, kho kho and hand tennis in school. Sometimes, when we didn't have tennis racquets, we would play this game. So as I said, it had to be only sports for me.
We hear it took a lot of convincing from producer Ravi Bhagchandka to get you to agree to this film. Why were you reluctant at first?
Yes, I was reluctant. I told Ravi, 'Once a sportsperson, always a sportsperson. I don't want to act! I am not going to act or dance here because that's not me; I am a private person'. He explained to me that they wanted to capture everything from real life. He said, 'It's not fiction. Everything that has happened in your life is what we will show'. So, that's when I agreed to do it. Yes, people have seen everything that has happened in my life, but they also don't know a lot of things. They don't know what I went through, what was going on in my mind during the highs or the lows. We have tried to capture all of that in the film, along with a lot of personal videos which nobody has seen. Some of the family videos are pretty interesting and nobody has had access to those. I fully understand that if you are making a movie, fans would like to see something more than what they have seen in the last 25 years. So, we have tried to balance it out. Whatever my family was comfortable sharing, is part of the film.
Being an icon brings along with it a certain amount of pressure. So, how tough was it each time you went out there to bat, knowing that practically every cricket lover in the country was pinning hopes on you?
In a way, it was good that people expected something from me. It would have been terrible if I was walking out to bat, and nobody expected anything from me. I wouldn't want to be there then. I took it positively and always told myself that people were expecting something from me because I was capable of delivering it. And finally, it's all about preparing yourself, which is most important; the results will follow. When you are preparing yourself for a big game, it's about positive reinforcement and how you convert those messages that you get from different parts of the world. Yes, there are expectations, but eventually, it's about what you tell yourself, how you make yourself believe in your strengths and then, go out there and give it your best.
How did you cope with the lows in your career?
There are highs and lows and you do get disappointed, to the extent that you don't enjoy anything once you come back to your hotel room after a game that hasn't gone well. Until the time you get back on the field and do something special, that feeling is constantly there with you. That's how it should be because you feel that way only if you care about something deeply. Not just during the matches, even if I had a bad practice session, my evening would be terrible. I would keep wondering why that happened. I care about cricket and I'm sure it's the case with my colleagues, too.
Did you rediscover yourself through the making of this movie?
I have been able to relive all those moments through the making of this film. I have often told myself, 'Wow! All these things actually happened in my life'. It was also very touching to see the videos from the past.
You preferred to keep a low profile even when you were playing. Was that a personality trait or a conscious decision that you took for your game?
It's our lifestyle. I come from a middle-class family with very strong values and principles. It was more about staying focussed on the game. The mantra at home was to stay focused on the game and let cricket always be in the foreground. Other things will happen in the background. The moment that reverses, your performance takes a dip. Even during a tournament, whether I had scored runs or failed, I would spend very little time thinking about the last match. I would con stantly be thinking about the next match. That was again the mantra at home - let the rest of the world discuss the last game, we talk about the next game. That endeavour to constantly try and better my performance helped me; I learnt that from my brother (Ajit Tendulkar). At home, everyone would stay balanced, whether I performed brilliantly or not. Parents always feel happy when their child does something good. My parents have always stood by me. In fact, when I didn't do well, they were even more supportive and encouraging. That's when you realise where your real strength lies, and my real strength has always been my family. And it's people's support that kept me going. I was walking out alone to bat, but I was representing so many people who contributed towards making me play better. So, it was not just me. As I always say, the records, the hundreds on field, belong to the entire nation.
Talking about family, your wife Anjali has also had a huge role to play...
Without a doubt. She understood me and very graciously took a backseat in her career. To move away from your career and sacrifice so many things for the happiness of the family, is truly remarkable.
With cricket being a religion in India, our cricketers are quite a pampered lot with all the adulation and brand endorsements that they get. Do you agree?
Who pampers them? That's a wrong word. People love them. And from my experience, I can tell you, that how much ever you are loved, it's never enough.
Do you miss playing the game?
After 24 years of playing the sport and after the kind of retirement I have had, I am content and thankful for everything that has happened in my life. Today, maybe I would play an odd exhibition game here and there, if at all.
What did you feel when you recently went to the playground at Shivaji Park where you started your career?
What an experience it was! We shot at the same spot where I had started my career. When I went there, I just stood there for a few minutes and recounted the moment when I had played the first ball of my career. It was a beautiful feeling. My cricket journey started there and after all these years, I went back to the same ground. It was like life coming full circle.
Don't you think it's high time other sports got their due? Of course, with the various leagues today, we are moving in that direction...
I have always felt very strongly about this. Today, the kabaddi league is doing well, there's badminton league, football league...without any doubt, brighter days are ahead. But believe me, things are not going to happen on their own. We will have to work really hard. Some people think that if you work hard for three months, you can get medals at the Olympics. It's not easy, because we have to remember that the rest of the world is also targeting those medals. The effort has to be consistent. I know it will happen and I'm hoping that it happens in the near future, but that near future is not in six months. It may take four or six or may be eight years.
What do you think about the many biopics being made on sports stars these days?
I like these biopics, as you get to know more about their lives. Many of them have been successful, too. Ravi (producer) came to me with a different idea, though.
Yes, but if there was a biopic to be made on you, which Bollywood star do you think would portray Sachin Tendulkar the best?
Right now, given the amount of effort that we have put in trying to gather all the information for our film, which is not just over the last 24 years but 44 years, I really need some time out. So I'm not thinking about anything else (laughs). I just need a break.
On a lighter note, since you've always been comfortable in front of the camera, as we've seen in the commercials you did earlier on, if not cricket, would you have liked to be an actor?
No, never! I would certainly be a sportsman only. If not cricket, then may be some other sport. I love playing any kind of sport. Cricket obviously has been my first love, but I enjoyed playing other sports too, be it tennis, badminton or table tennis. I even enjoyed playing kabaddi, kho kho and hand tennis in school. Sometimes, when we didn't have tennis racquets, we would play this game. So as I said, it had to be only sports for me.
It’s important to be passionate about whatever you want to be in life-Sachin Tendulkar
7:53 AM
Harshada Rege (DNA; May 25, 2017)
Whether or not you are a cricket fan, every Indian has grown up watching Sachin Tendulkar play for the country and hearing stories of his dedication towards the sport. And while his life has played out in the public domain, he has managed to guard his private life. Fans have always wanted to know more about the god of cricket, and that became a reality when a movie — Sachin: A Billion Dreams — on his life was announced.
However, unlike taking the tried-and-tested biopic route, this movie will see the cricketer taking the audience through his life. The Master Blaster, who has been interacting with media to promote the movie that releases tomorrow, is looking forward to taking a break with his family. Late in the night, I spoke to him over the phone about cricket, his family, movies, music and more. Excerpts from the chat:
You’re no stranger to high-pressure situations. While this one may not quite compare, how do you feel now that the movie is up for release?
It’s a different feeling, obviously. But we know that we have put in a lot of hard work. From our end, we’ve ticked all the boxes. That’s what I used to do even when I played cricket. Pre-match, nobody can guarantee the result, but as long as I was able to tick all the boxes for pre-match preparations, it was okay with me. And that is the feeling right now.
Sachin fans don’t need a reason to watch the movie, what would be the reason for a non-Sachin fan to watch this film?
There are a lot of things my fans don’t know about me. With this film, they will get to know plenty about me. There are a lot of videos from my personal collection — my family videos — and those are interesting. For a non-Sachin fan, there’s a lot that they will get to understand about me.
Will the movie focus on any particular aspect of your life?
It will cover all aspects. The movie covers my life from the age of five till the last day of my career — 35 years in all. So there are many things that have happened in those years. At the same time, it is impossible to cover everything, so you are going to miss out on a lot of things. That was a challenge, which I feel the director James (Erskine) and his team, have done a magnificent job with.
Have you dedicated the movie to anyone?
It’s, of course, my father (Ramesh Tendulkar) first, and then everyone else in the family. He is the one person we all miss at this moment. It’s him more than anyone right now.
While this movie is a very personal account, would you be open to letting someone else make a Bollywood biopic?
(Laughs) No, I think I have had enough right now. Shooting and interviews... I just need some time off and take rest for a while because it has been really, really hectic. Honestly, I haven’t thought about it at this moment. This movie is what I am focussed on right now. After this is done, I want some time with my family.
You also turned singer recently. Does the entertainment industry figure in your future plans?
Singing was a one-off thing. It was just fun at home. My family was discussing it and Anjali came up with this idea and said ‘You should do it. If it doesn’t work, leave it’. We tried and everyone liked it, so we were happy with it. The question was whether I was comfortable or not. As for the movie, it was being planned since 2012. In fact, this idea of this movie on my life was before any of these biopics were released. We sat together and planned this, just that mine is a real-life on celluloid.
Considering the fact that you have managed to keep your family out of the media glare, did it require any convincing to share your personal videos?
The thing with sharing family videos is that we all had to be comfortable with it. We fully understand that all the fans would like to see something that they haven’t seen before, and they want it to be more about me, my life and my family. We had to find a balance and meet at a point where we are not uncomfortable and they are not disappointed. We managed do that.
Are you enjoying this post-retirement phase, where you are getting to dabble in things other than cricket?
Besides music and this movie, I have also been able to do things like getting involved with UNICEF. Those things are also part of the post-retirement phase. I adopted one village, and am on my way to adopting another one. A lot of things have kept me busy.
One sports star whose biopic you would like to see...
Roger Federer’s would be the one for me.
What advice would you give to other sportsmen about post-retirement life?
Each person has their own preferences and their lifestyle, there is no set formula as such about retired life that exists. Many guys have chosen to play golf seriously, or be a part of their family businesses. Few guys have chosen to stay connected to cricket, and there are guys who moved away from the sport, too. It’s up to the individual.
Your son Arjun has shown an inclination towards cricket, is Sara interested in sports, too? What kind of hopes do you have from them?
We have given our children the freedom to do what they want to do. It’s important to be passionate about whatever you want to be in life. We can guide them, but... you know expectations are only to go out and give it your best. As long as they are giving it their best, that’s all that matters to me, the rest, I leave to God.
When the movie was screened, whose reactions were you nervous about?
My children and my mother, because that covers all generations in between. If both ends are okay then you know that the guys in between, their reaction will be fine.
Sachin: A Billion Dreams to show unseen footage of Tendulkar's debut series against Pakistan
8:01 AM
James Erskine’s upcoming Sachin: A Billion Dreams might just offer a fresh perspective on both the man and the cricketer
Murali K Menon (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 14, 2017)
I always thought Brian Lara was the better batsman, but I might want to watch Sachin: A Billion Dreams. Prime among the reasons is that the docu-feature, which releases May 26, has been directed by James Erskine. Erskine’s previous films include Battle of the Sexes (on the match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973) and Shooting for Socrates, a heartwarming comedy about the Northern Ireland football team taking on Socrates’ Brazilians, the best side never to win the World Cup, bang in the middle of the tumultuous 1980s. If that’s not enough, there’s also never-before-seen footage from Tendulkar’s debut series against Pakistan, which has acquired near mythical status among cricket fans. “It’s also about certain things cricket lovers don’t know about. They know all about my cricket, but the movie’s about what it was like to be Sachin Tendulkar, both when the going was good and when we were in the doldrums,” says the man himself.
He is dressed in faded denims, a dark red shirt and stylish burgundy derbies, and sunlight glints off his expensive timepiece. As always, he is unfailingly polite and meticulously rehearsed. Thankfully, he still has that disarming laugh, and he employs it as he answers a query about what it is like to watch a movie about oneself. “When Ravi (Bhagchandka, producer and fanboy) first got in touch — this was about two years before I retired — my first response was ‘no way’. The other day when I watched the movie, I thought, ‘Wow! All of this seems so unreal’, and it was fitting that, in a way, it culminated with India winning the World Cup. That was something I had to wait 22 years for.”
Erskine has used different mediums in an effort to say and show something new about a man who has been — and still is — relentlessly covered by the media. There’s dramatisation, home videos, dinner with the Tendulkars, what Sachin’s like with his closest friends... “What do I do when I’m on holiday, some intimate moments with my family…” The documentary also has songs, and Tendulkar is quick to add that he has not sung them.
Erskine and co. spent months chasing the footage of his first Test series — there are bits of it floating on YouTube and the originals no longer exist — they found some of it in the US, Australia and elsewhere. The film will also have Tendulkar speaking about match-fixing, claims Erskine. “About what his mental state was like when news about the match-fixing scandal broke.”
That’s nice to know, and probably as important a reason as any to watch S:BD. In any case, irrespective of how the film turns out, one can safely expect it to be a huge improvement over Tendulkar’s autobiography, which was the literary equivalent of a tsetse fly.
With Aamir Khan, there's a direct connect-Sachin Tendulkar on whether the superstar can play him
7:58 AM
Ahead of his part-docu biopic’s release, Sachin admits there’s direct connect with Mr Perfectionist
Shilpi Sampad (MID-DAY; May 13, 2017)
Your film is called Sachin – A Billion Dreams. What were your cricketing dreams when you were growing up?
The first was to play for India and then chase it with a bigger dream — winning the World Cup. It took me22 years, but I got there.
How did you react when the makers approached you for the film?
My initial reaction was no (smiles). I said I can’t act, I don’t want to act; I am a sportsperson, not an actor. So, it took them a while to convince me and to let me know I have to act. Because everything in my life has been documented, there are no made-up stories… there is no way to rewrite a script to show I have made extra runs. They (makers) felt no one knows what went on in my mind during the highs and lows [of my career]. So, we needed to show that to as many guys as possible.
What went on in your mind every time you went in to bat with a million people chanting ‘Sachin, Sachin’?
It was exciting and I actually liked that people had expectations from me. It’d have been terrible to walk into the middle with no one expecting anything from me.
For any sportsperson, encouragement and expectations make for the best tonic. Does it have a personal angle too?
Yes, people will get to see more than what they have seen for 24 years of me on field — my private life, my family and my friends. We dug out some really good footage that no one has seen.
Apart from your brother, Ajit Tendulkar, your mother has been a big inspiration too…
Huge. She’s the reason I started cooking. After my morning practice at Wankhede Stadium, I’d rush home by train or bus and be really hungry and tired. Before resuming practice at noon, I’d stand by her in the kitchen and have an early lunch and then fall asleep. While doing that, I observed her cooking.
Are you an expert cook now?
Well, I can cook. I like making baingan bharta, fried fish, prawns and lobsters.
Getting back to the film, did you discuss it with your coach, Ramakant Achrekar?
I didn’t. The discussion was mainly with my family and everyone was comfortable with the idea.
Do you plan to venture into filmmaking at some point?
We haven’t even released this film! (laughs)
If you could pick an actor to play your role, who’d it be?
Whose name comes to your mind?
Aamir Khan, maybe?
Well, whenever I have asked journalists this, they have all named Aamir because there is direct connect. Aamir has done Lagaan (2001 film on a do-or-die cricket match). He’s a great actor and a wonderful person.
Do you miss the buzz of international cricket?
I was in the middle of action for 24 years. And the kind of farewell I received, it was really special. I’m happy with the way things are going. Few exhibition games here and there are not a bad idea. I’ve completed a full circle and couldn’t have asked for more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)