'I would do anything to support cricket'

Karnataka’s victory in the sixth edition of the Celebrity Cricket League 2016 (CCL), which was recently held at Chinnaswamy Stadium, was actress Sharmiela Mandre’s most cherished birthday present.

Actors Dhruv and Rajeev lifted Karnataka’s score with an exemplary performance. The team scored a total of 211 in 20 overs, beating Chennai Rhinos by 83 runs and Dhruv was declared the man of the match for his all-round performance. The cheers helped too as the petite, chic brand ambassador of ‘Karnataka Bulldozers’ was powerfully rooting for team, waving her flag and screaming her lungs out.  

Though she has two big releases, a Bollywood remake of ‘Katha’ and ‘Gandhigiri’, a Kannada film, and was supposed to be in Mumbai for a shoot, she excitedly says that she took the weekend off so that she could cheer her team.

Though she feels close to Chennai and the Tamil industry, as she has acted in Tamil films, she says that there is no better feeling than standing on the home turf and representing her home team. “It’s a great experience to be a brand ambassador for Karnataka. Though I am not out there playing, it’s heart-warming to contribute my support in any way possible. Luckily, our team comprises actors who are serious and passionate about cricket, so it’s exciting to see how they swing their bat on the pitch and in front of the camera.”

More than looking at the league as teams playing against each other, Sharmiela feels that the battle is also about the warm relationships that people in the industry share and is thankful that cricket is bridging these friendships.

She loves the concept of cricket and cinema coming together and sharing a common ground at CCL. “I love the fact that everyone relates to these two mass-media even though they are different forms of entertainment. The craze surrounding cricket and cinema in our country is unparalleled. I believe that both have equal number of fans, if not more. Though it’s a new concept in our country, I’m happy that it has caught on extremely fast,” she says, waving her flag as actor Rajeev hit a sixer. Sharmiela was also proud to see a packed stadium, unlike last year, and was happy to see that “at least 50 per cent of the cricket fans” in Karnataka had come out to support their home team.

One who has no set of rules when it comes to choosing her projects and has signed a number of films in Kannada, her passion in cricket started much before she got into films as she recalls that she did hit a cricket-ball or two when she was in school. She has also extended her support to Royal Challenger’s Bengaluru and has followed almost every season of the Indian Premiere League.

The ardent cricket fan is now hoping for an all-women’s cricket team soon and excitedly says that she would love to be the captain if she gets a chance there. “I would do anything to support cricket,” she says.