From Pitches To Pictures: Suresh Raina’s New Innings In Tamil

Following in the footsteps of fellow cricketers like Bravo, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, often referred to as ‘Chinna Thala’, is starring in a Kollywood film.

It was announced at a grand city event that Raina would lead the cast of a cricket-based Tamil film directed by Logan, a former assistant to Thirukumaran, and produced by Saravana Kumar.

Young international cricketer and Chennai Super Kings powerhouse Shivam Dube was present to release the announcement video for Raina’s upcoming film, along with the name and logo of the production house, Dream Knight Stories.

Suresh Raina, who was holidaying with his family in Amsterdam, joined the event via video call. Hearing a huge cheer from the audience, Raina started his speech with a smile, saying, “There’s a lot of ‘Whistle Podu Army’ in Tamil Nadu.”

When asked what made him pick a Tamil film despite offers from Bollywood and other languages, Raina said, “When Logan narrated the story, it felt very close to us. When you’re doing a cricket movie, it has to start from Tamil Nadu because we’ve been playing a lot of matches for CSK over the years. And we got a lot of love, a lot of blessings, a lot of affection.”

On a lighter note, when Raina was asked what sort of actor he would be, he said, “I think I will be a very good singer, singing around the beachside, having a guitar in my hand, making a nice dosa for my teammates, enjoying with my teammates, having a nice rasam rice. A very chilled-out actor. No stress.”

Raina went on to add his appreciation for the local culture. “I think I’ve loved a lot of the lyrics there. I have seen a lot of movies from Suriya, and other actors over the years. I know Suriya’s song ‘Munbe Vaa’ as I have listened to that song so many times.”