If there are two things that Chennai is sorely missing this lockdown season, it is cricket and cinema.
This would have been the time when the men in yellow would have brandished their cricketing skills at Chepauk. This would have also been the same time fans would have gone to the first-day-first show of Vijay’s Master or gotten updates about Ajith’s Valimai.
So, what would happen if these two worlds met? Who would be the ideal cricketing/ film lockdown buddies?
MS Dhoni and Ajith
Thala was a sobriquet Ajith owned until Dhoni came along. Today, fans of the Chennai Super captain fondly call him ‘Thala’, something that the cricketer speaks about with pride.
Dhoni and Ajith might be great friends if they ever met each other; they both have a collection of great bikes and a passion for racing. They can bond over the magnifience of the Ducati and the ultimate satisfaction that riding a Ninja can give. They can speak about the differences in fan culture, what they like most about their fans and how they maintain their cool under trying circumstances — something that is common to both. And, guess what’s the best thing about this combination? They are specialists at ‘finishing’: Dhoni’s reputation to wrap up hard cricketing chases — and ‘opening’ — Ajith is popular as the star whose films get the best reception in the first few days of release.
Suresh Raina and Suriya
Did you know that one of Suresh Raina’s favourite songs is ‘Munbe Va’ (Sillunu Oru Kadhal), featuring Suriya?
Did you know that Raina popped up during a #AskSuriya session on Twitter and asked the actor a question?
These two have a mutal admiration for each other, and a conversation between them is sure to give them some fresh perspectives. Not only can they share their fitness and workout patterns, they can also discuss their favourite moments with respect to sports and movies. And oh yes, they can exchanges notes on parenting: both these stars have a boy and a girl each!
Ravindra Jadeja and Jiiva
Jiiva can call him ‘Sir’... in the same tone he used in Nanban. And Jaddu — as Ravindra Jadeja is called — might just not mind it.
These are two young stars, popular in their own right, who we think would probably hit it off really well with each other. We suspect that they might even pull pranks once they get to know each other better.
Jiiva has also just finished a cricket film — he plays the character of Krish Srikkanth in upcoming Bollywood biggie 83 — and he can show off what he learnt to Jaddu. The fielding all-rounder, meanwhile, can regale the actor with tales from the CSK camp, which we’re sure he’d be super interested in.
Harbhajan Singh and T Rajendar
Game for some thirukkural, anyone?
Harbhajan Singh, who took CSK fans by storm by regularly tweeting in Tamil, might find a great lockdown companion in T Rajendar. Harbhajan is currently acting in a Tamil film, and he could use this time together to pick some tips on TR about acting and singing.
TR, meanwhile, could do with adding some Punjabi-style folk elements to his already-rich musical repertoire. He should do a musical video someday, where gaana meets bhangra. That, we assure you, will go viral.
Dwayne Bravo and Shruti Haasan
Shruti and Bravo might make for great lockdown buddies: they can share musical notes and probably even collaborate on a song. CSK fans might be more aware of Bravo’s slower balls and pinch-hitting, but the cricketer has quite a bit of musical skills too to show off (he has even shaken a leg in Tamil film Ula.)
Bravo has already expressed an interest to meet Rajinikanth someday, but we hope Shruti would introduce the cricketer to the Kamal Haasan film universe as well. Just imagine the cricketer singing Thenpandi Seemaiyile, infused with some Carribean flavour!