When Nawazuddin Siddiqui was first told that he had to play golf for his upcoming film Freaky Ali, he was hardly flustered. “When I watched golf on TV, I used to wonder why people make such a big deal about it. All you have to do is put a ball into a hole,” Nawaz said, during an interaction on Freaky Ali, in the city on Thursday.
“It was only after I started playing the sport did I realise how technical the game really is. A lot depends on the wind, your swing, the course and other things. Freaky Ali certainly changed my perception about the sport,” the actor shared.
Nawaz plays the lead in this rags-to-riches story about a street hoodlum who starts playing golf and starts beating the best at it.
“It’s a film which is made with a sense of innocence and simplicity. It has a simple but classical plot. It’s a true underdog story and I had great fun doing it,” the 42-year-old expressed.
Nawaz was in the city along with the film’s director Sohail Khan, and his co-stars Arbaaz Khan and Jas Arora.
“Freaky Ali is not just a sports film. There’s much more to it than just that. The film plays on human emotions and has comedy, romance, drama – it’s a complete entertainment package,” said Arbaaz Khan, who plays a supporting role.
Arbaaz, who’s familiar with Hyderabad, has signed a Telugu film, an untitled venture featuring Raj Tharun in the lead role. “I like Raj. He’s an affable guy, is friendly and comes across as a level-headed person,” Arbaaz added.
They are currently shooting in Ramoji Film City and the film’s coming out quite well, he adds.
Sohail Khan returns as a director after Jai Ho (2014) and says doing Freaky Ali was a dream come true for him.
“I always wanted to make a sports film. If there was one thing I’m passionate about besides filmmaking, it’s sports. I often come here with Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) and also play football at times. Like Nawaz, I too had little knowledge about golf. But after playing, I realised that it’s a very technical game. When I watched Nawaz in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, I thought he would be perfect for this film. I told him about the film, and once he was on board, we decided to make the film around him and the script was written keeping him in mind. His dialogue delivery and screen presence was taken into account while preparing the script,” Sohail pointed out.
The Lakeer actor feels that the flick has the potential to change the perception about golf in the country. “Golf is considered to be a rich man’s sport. But if you notice, it is one of the most popular sports in the world and is played by more countries compared to cricket. Through the movie, we want to shatter this myth about the game and we want more people picking up the sport. The idea is to make the game into a common-man’s sport,” Sohail added.
Presented by Salman Khan Freaky Ali, which also features Amy Jackson in an important role, is slated to hit screens on September 9.