‘Naam hai Futsal!’ — that’s what Virat Kohli will be crooning soon, as the cricketer prepares for his toughest challenge — singing to none other than A.R. Rahman’s music for the Premier Futsal League.
India’s cover boy for sport was in a fun mood, as he walked into the press meet for the event, dressed casually in a sweatshirt and tan trousers — proceeding to drape a Futsal scarf over ARR, who was looking rather dapper in an informal suit.
Kohli was immediately gushing over the iconic composer — “Sitting next to Rahman sir... it’s like all my childhood memories, growing up listening to his songs, are coming back to me! He’s been such a massive inspiration to my life and career. Apart from the national anthem that’s sung before every match, the only other song that resonates with the players is his version of Vande Mataram which is played during the end. Man, it gives me goosebumps everytime! The whole stadium is roused, and we are infused with a new sense of energy. So you can imagine my excitement being here.”
He adds, “Just meeting him for a few minutes now has taught me about his success: the higher you go; the more humble you have to be. That’s my takeaway from this meeting."
India’s Test captain also revealed that he was an “average” singer, and also that his favourite vocalist was Arjit Singh! “Since I’m going to be singing only rap bits and nothing too complex, there shouldn’t be too many issues, I hope. But I still prefer the bat to the microphone!” Kohli grinned.
DC also learns exclusively that Kohli was in Chennai only for a day of recording and shooting — which was done in his hotel and studio — and the rest of the portions would be canned in Mumbai.
A.R. Rahman, on his part, was all smiles as well, as he spoke to us — “Hopefully, I’ll make it easy for Virat! Apart from him, other known faces like Karthik and Lady Kash are also part of the music video. I’ve been associated with a lot of sport-based films and initiatives in the recent past, and this project is further evidence that composing needn’t be restricted to only movies.
The lyrics for this song are in English, and we’ve been working on it for a week now — not sure how it’ll turn out yet! The track isn’t all rap though; it’ll have a mixture of other elements as well.
For a good cause
Virat Kohli Foundation has joined hands with Smile Foundation, to support the cause of empowerment of underprivileged children and youth. As a first step towards this endeavour, Virat hosted a one-of-its-kind charity dinner in Mumbai and was joined by his friends Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane and K.L. Rahul among others.
“As a public personality, I realise that I have a huge responsibility on my shoulder to support causes that matter to the society,” said Virat at the event. Later, he was spotted shaking a leg with Hardik Pandya and Yuvraj Singh on Shah Rukh’s Tukur Tukur number from Dilwale. M.S. Dhoni also entertained the guests by singing a song.
