Actor Angad Bedi is looking to leave an impact on the audience with Soorma, the biopic on hockey legend Sandeep Singh, which tosses about relationships and the sacrifices they demand. By S Suri
At a time when sports biopics are making their mark at the box office, how could not one be dedicated to the hockey legend and former India team captain, Sandeep SinghIJ So though a one-time cricketer himself, actor Angad Bedi readily agreed to be a part of Soorma, which is not only about how Sandeep Singh endured tough times and became a hero but also about how he could not have done this without his brother nurturing and looking out for him. Angad, who is playing Bikramjeet Singh, the elder brother of Sandeep, tells us, “For me, playing Bikramjeet has been very gratifying. This film is about a unique bond which probably needs to be highlighted in relationship-stressed times. Bikramjeet keeps his brother first at all times, loving him like a son. He will go above and beyond any level to make sure that his brother represents the nation. It was Bikramjeet’s desire to see Sandeep representing the country because he was a very explosive hockey player himself. In fact, he was the best drag-flicker for India but because of injuries, couldn’t go ahead. His dreams were left unfulfilled. For Bikramjeet, his brother’s victory was his own. Sandeep knew of his brother’s hurt welling inside and worked even harder to fulfill his dreams.”
With Diljit Dosanjh at the other end playing the lead role of Sandeep Singh, Angad says, “If we both can essay the love and relationship between Sandeep and Bikramjeet, the film will go through.”
For Angad, playing Bikramjeet was a tall order. “Portraying the sacrifice that Bikramjeet made for his family, working two jobs a day to look after his family and sending money for Sandeep’s rehab and training was difficult considering the complexity of emotions and will power involved,” he says. Further, having met Bikramjeet and spending time with him in person, he realised that they don’t make men like him anymore. “He’s such a giving person, he has a heart of gold, a very humble soul and no matter how much I observed him, I fell short as a person.”
Then there was the difficult business of learning hockey. Says Angad, “I had to unlearn cricket to learn hockey. I’ve played cricket up to U-19 and hockey is a very different sport. Cricket is all about your top hand and as opposed to that, hockey is all about the bottom hand. In order to learn hockey, you have to change your stance, grip and your body language. Also, I really had to work on my fitness. Bikramjeet is a really muscular guy. Playing hockey and all of its shots need a lot of core strength to hit them correctly; the core needs to be engaged at all times so we really worked on that. We had to run a lot. There was a lot of prep.”
But the actor didn’t mind the regimen as he got coached by none other than Sandeep and Bikramjeet themselves. “Sandeep corrected my form. I really had to work towards that because I did not want to look like a cricketer trying to play hockey. Hockey has been a very challenging sport for me to take up and it’s definitely one of the most difficult sports ever. But in the end, it’s beautiful,” he says, soaking in his moment of discovery.
Describing his journey in the film as “a beautiful and my most pleasant experience”, Angad says, “I’ve worked with stalwarts of this industry but working with Diljit Dosanjh and Taapsee Pannu was very different. I’ve worked with Taapsee before and it’s great to see both of us playing very diversified roles. As for Diljit, I believe that he’s the most endearing co-actor I’ve ever had. He’s extremely loving, honest and so giving. He gives you cues and he’s always there for you.”
The 35-year-old actor believes that it is important for him as an actor to play an impactful role. “Whatever characters I’ve played so far have been very performance-oriented. All these characters have had a very powerful and intense impact on the audience. This is what matters to me the most and that’s how I want to pick up my scripts and stories.”