Amartya is training hard for Amit Sharma’s sports biopic

Amartya Ray, who played the lead in Abhishek Saha’s Uronchondi opposite Rajnandini, is currently in Mumbai, training hard for his next role. The actor, along with several other actors, is undergoing vigorous training in football for the Chuni Goswami-inspired character he is playing in Amit Sharma’s next, tentatively titled Maidan. The Badhaai Ho director’s film is a sports biopic based in the golden era of Indian football. It stars Ajay Devgn in the lead and his character is based on former Indian football coach and manager,

Syed Abdul Rahim

. Rudranil Ghosh and Gajraj Rao also play two important characters in the film.

Speaking to us from Mumbai, Amartya said, “I salute the footballers from my heart. What a disciplined life they lead! I go through vigorous training from the morning at the gym. Then we play football. Amit sir wants us to be as natural as the footballers when we shoot. So, when we play in the morning we forget that we are training for a film. All the actors who play footballers are in love with the game now.”

The actor, who studies direction at The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), had earlier directed his mother, Chaity Ghoshal, in a 10-minute short, Jhulo. It’s about a single mother and a 10-year-old boy, who suffers from insomnia. “The film was a part of my course and it was an honour directing Ma. She helped me in many ways and I think she liked working in the film,” Amartya said.