Handsome Olympic medial-winning Indian boxer Vijender Singh is all set to make his acting debut with Bipasha Basu in a film titled Patiala Express, says a media report.
The film to be produced by Percept Ltd will start shooting early 2011.
Before that Vijender will undergo three months of acting course from October onwards, says the report.
Shailendra Singh of Percept says, “I agree Vijender is not much of an actor yet. But he's very goodlooking and he's one helluva boxer. We've cast him in Patiala Express as a boxer because we know he'll look convincing. We've seen Sohail Khan and Bobby Deol play boxers (in Abhishek Kapoor's Aryan and Anil Sharma's Apne). What can I say?”
Says Singh, “We genuinely feel boxing has the potential to be the second-most popular sport in our country after cricket. It doesn't require too much investment to be indulged in and there's no need for a large expensive stadium for the bouts.”
Patiala Express would endeavour to be the first authentic boxing film for India. The director is yet to be finalized.
Explains Shailendra Singh, “As far as I can see there's only one knock-out sports film in Hindi, and that's Lagaan. Neither Aamir Khan nor Ashutosh Gowariker are available to direct Vijender's boxing film. We're looking at fresh directorial talent from the advertising world.”
As for Vijender's leading lady, buzz is Bipasha Basu is stepping into the boxer-turned-actor's romantic arena.
