'I never thought I could act'

Multiple Talents

Cricket is something that is synonymous with actor Aadarsh. Not only did he make his debut with the Bollywood movie Iqbal but he was also playing state-level cricket before he joined movies.

And now that he is a part of the ‘Telugu Warriors’ team in the Celebrity Cricket League, it’s almost like Aadarsh gets to have his cake and eat it too. “Ever since I started acting, I never got the time to play the game. But now, thanks to the league, I get to do both,” he beams.

Aadarsh has also observed how the league has grown over the last few years. “While stars got to fulfill their dream of playing professional cricket through this, many budding actors are now using it as a platform to get into movies,” he says and adds, “in fact, I have met many youngsters coming up to me saying, ‘I can play good cricket, can I get a role in a movie?’ I don’t know if this is a good or a bad thing but at least the opportunities are opening up for good talent.

Through this league, Aadarsh also got to meet Sachin Tendulkar, when the team was in Pune. And another highlight was working under Venkatesh, who was the captain of the team. “Venkatesh sir has the calmest personality ever. Not once does he make you feel like he is a superstar. All of us got to learn so much from him,” he adds.

This Bangalorean has been seen in movies like ‘Happy Days’ and Ram Gopal Varma’s Appal Raju, as well as in Umesh Shirupally’s Telugu film ‘Cricket, Girls and Beer’. “Acting just happened by accident. I never thought I could act. I was deep into cricket and it was after Iqbal that offers started pouring
in. I was lucky to get youth-oriented characters that are more or less my age and the rest, like they say, is history,” says Aadarsh.

And now, he will be playing the lead role in another Telugu film called ‘Kidnap’. “I am looking forward to this one as it has got a good deal of drama and comedy in it. It’s more of a ‘dramedy’, as I call it,” he laughs.

Though he has now settled in Hyderabad with his parents, Aadarsh says he still has a strong bond with Bangalore. “I have grown up in this City and have so many friends and extended family here, so visiting Bangalore is like coming back home,” he says.

However, he has acted in only one Kannada film, Nooru Janmaku. “I haven’t got a good script after that film. I would love to act in Kannada films. Besides, it has been a while since Iqbal and I would love to do another Bollywood film as well. I am open to good scripts, so let’s see what’s in store for me next,” he sums up.