Don't need to be an actor now to belong to Bollywood: Dwayne Bravo

New Delhi, Aug 26 (IANS) After ruling the cricket ground, Dwayne Bravo became an overnight singing sensation with his "Champion" number. The West Indies cricketer-singer, who is all set to make his singing debut in Bollywood, says one does not really need to be an actor now to find a place in the Hindi film industry.

Bravo has been roped in to sing a number titled "Jager bomb" for director Anubhav Sinha's upcoming film "Tum Bin 2". He is not the first cricketer to get a taste of showbiz, as the likes of Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar and Harbhajan Singh have already tried their hand at either TV or films.

What is luring cricketers to Bollywood?

Noting that Bollywood is as popular as cricket in India, Bravo told IANS in an e-mail interaction: "So I guess it's a great way to reach out to the masses... You don't need to be an actor or an actress to really belong to Bollywood now. It's similar to how actors and musicians are now playing in celebrity cricket leagues and exploring their adventurous streak.”

The 32-year-old cricketer believes some individuals are "gifted".

“I feel it's alright to pursue an alternative career as long as your primary career is not getting affected. Bollywood has welcomed cricketers in a seamless way and that speaks volumes of how flexible the industry is," he added.

Does Bravo plan to take a step back from cricket?

"Cricket comes first always, but my approach to entertainment is more professional. Singing was my childhood dream. I want to constantly inspire my fans to believe in their dream and as a role model, I wish to set the right precedent," he said.

The star player had earlier shared that his dream was to break into Bollywood but he says all his dreams aren't fulfilled yet.

"I'm a dreamer and the dream never stops, it's like I have miles to go before I sleep. I believe the day you tell yourself that I've achieved it all, that's the start of the downfall," he said.

After the Hindi film industry, the next step for the crickter is Hollywood, where he wants to showcase his singing talent.

"It's similar to how actors and musicians are now playing in celebrity cricket leagues and exploring their adventurous streak. I'm already in talks with some of the top music producers back in UK and USA," he said.

The West-Indies all-rounder became an overnight sensation with the popular song "Champion", but he wants to make a Hindi version of the chartbuster so that he could reach out to his Indian fans.

"Yes I plan to. This is something that is in the pipeline. We gave fans a preview of the Hindi version at the Indian Premier League (IPL) opening ceremony this year with Ankit Tiwari singing the Hindi version. This is something fans have been asking me for since a while now and I'm going to just make their wish come true," he said.

Bravo, who plays for IPL franchise Gujarat Lions, says he is working on his next single which will soon hit the market.

Is acting in a Bollywood film the next step for Bravo?

"Shehan Raj and Jashoda Madhavji (my team) are working on it and given their expertise, a film may just happen. I have been getting offers, but I need to find something that brings out the actor in me and fans can relate to Bravo, the actor, just as they have related to Bravo, the singer," he said.

(Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in)