UP Police’s ‘encounter specialist’ to make big Bollywood debut

BAREILLY

: A 41-year-old police officer in UP is set to make his Bollywood debut with an upcoming Ajay Devgn and

Sanjay Dutt-starrer ‘Bhuj-The Pride of India’

, five years after the cop was first spotted by a director while on crowd control duty and launched in

Tollywood

.


Anirudha Singh, a circle officer in Budaun, will play the role of Sanjay Dutt’s younger brother in the war drama slated for release in August. Director Abhishek Dudhaiya told TOI that Singh’s personality on screen “captures his dedication to policing in real life”.

Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Dudhaiya, Anirudha and folk singer Yogesh Gadhwi
“Despite being busy with shooting at the set and off-duty, Singh was constantly checking in with his colleagues. His role could have been longer but he decided to return to duty,” he said.

The character that Anirudha is playing in the movie

Singh, who joined the force in 2001 as a sub-inspector, is responsible for the encounter of 26 criminals, including Naxalite Sanjay Kole who was wanted in five states.

The cop -- towering at 6 ft 2 inches -- entered showbiz after he caught the eye of a director, Shekhar Suri, while he was controlling the crowd during the shooting of Suri’s movie in Varanasi in 2016.

“He was quite impressed with my moustache and my personality,” chuckled Singh, adding that he was offered the role of a police inspector in the director’s next movie ‘Dr Chakravarthy’ which was released in 2017.

Since then, Singh, who hails from a farmer family in Jalaun, has acted in a web series and another Tollywood movie ‘Guns of Banaras’ whose release has been delayed due to the pandemic.

According to his colleagues, Singh’s “stardom” barely reflects on his behaviour, the officer is “a “humble man who goes about his work”.

Budaun

SSP

Sankalp Sharma said, “Singh has come up with many unique initiatives that have been helpful in controlling crime in the area. For instance, earlier this year, he helped residents of two villages in the region quit illicit liquor manufacturing and take up handicrafts and poultry. At least 56 residents from these two villages of Bhojpur and

Dhanupura

are lodged in jails due to illicit liquor manufacturing. His team also encouraged families there to send their children to school."

At present, Singh is leading an initiative to help find employment for families of prisoners in UP.

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