Known for endorsing sports in his films, actor and filmmaker Farhan Akhtar has been invited by Sony Pictures Sports Network as UEFA Champions League’s official guest from India to attend the finale at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on June 1. The actor said he will chronicle his experience on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, as an effort to promote the league and sport in India.
Rajesh Kaul, chief revenue officer, distribution and head - sports business, Sony Pictures Networks India, presented Mr. Akhtar a match ball along with a token ticket to Madrid at a hotel in Santacruz on Monday. The tournament is being telecast in India on Sony Ten 2 channels.
Describing the atmosphere at a stadium as a “carnival”, the 45-year-old actor said attending the finals has been on his bucket list. With four teams left in the tournament, Mr. Akhtar calls Barcelona his “clear favourite” in the upcoming match against Liverpool. But his unwavering loyalty has been with Manchester United and its exit from the league has “led to a lot of pain”.
Raised in Mumbai, Mr. Akhtar grew up on a healthy dose of football and endorsed the sport as an enjoyable way to stay fit. “It also makes you mentally stronger and teaches you how to deal with success and loss at a young age,” he said.
He said the spaces for sports are shrinking in the metropolis. “We don’t have space for playing sports in an unorganised way, which wasn’t the case when we were children,” he said.
Currently shooting for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Toofan, where the actor plays a boxer, Mr. Akhtar has documented the lives of sportsmen as an actor and producer in films like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) and Gold (2018).
While he believes that hockey requires no promotion as a sport, he has observed a growing interest in sprinting after Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Given a chance, he would like to play footballer Luis Suárez in a biopic. “Sports have inherent drama in them, lending them easily to films,” the actor said.