Exclusive: Shreyas Talpade says Kaun Pravin Tambe redefines him, calls it a second birth

After Iqbal, actor Shreyas Talpade is set to hit the screen with another cricket drama based on the life of cricketer Pravin Tambe in ‘Kaun Pravin Tambe’.The actor, who plays the titular role, said that his life shares a lot of similarities with that of the cricketer who began playing for the Indian Premier League(IPL) team, Rajasthan Royals at the age of 41.

Similar to Tambe’s challenging journey, the actor believes that he has had his share of hardships in his acting career. But the opportunity to play Mumbai-based leg spinner in the upcoming film is like a ‘second birth’ for him. Speaking to Desimartini, the actor said, “There were a lot of similarities as far as both our careers are concerned. This is like second birth in a way for me since the last few years were not great in terms of my career. So, having this opportunity in form of Kaun Pravin Tambe, just like Pravin has at the age of 41, is in a way redefining myself after all these years.”

Talpade was well aware of how preparing for such a role takes a toll on the body, as he has already essayed a role of a cricketer in Nagesh Kukunoor’s 2005 film Iqbal. However, the actor said the preparation of Tambe’s journey from the age of 20 till 42 was a completely different challenge. “ When I did Iqbal, there was extensive training involved, but also that was a time when I was actively playing cricket and was a lot younger at that point in time. Today, to redo the entire thing was tough. This was a completely different challenge as it is based on a true story of Pravin Tambe, who did his debut at the age 0f 40 but onscreen playing him from 20 to 42, and matching his energy at different age groups in his career was really challenging because he is so full of positivity and energy.”

Directed by Jayprasad Desai, Kaun Pravin Tambe also stars Parambrata Chatterjee , Ashish Vidyarthi , and Anjali Patil in supporting roles. Backed by Fox Star Studios along with Friday Filmworks and Bootroom Sports Production, the film is slated to stream in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu on Disney Plus Hotstar from April 1.