Rahul Dravid backs Virat Kohli’s acting potential, recalls his mimicry skills

Virat Kohli may have established himself as one of the biggest names in international cricket, but former India head coach Rahul Dravid believes the star batter could also have what it takes to make a mark on the big screen. Dravid recently highlighted Kohli’s impressive mimicry skills and his extensive experience in advertising while discussing cricketers who could potentially make good Bollywood actors.

Speaking on BBC Asian Network, Dravid was asked which of his former teammates could have made a successful transition to Bollywood. Abhishek Bachchan, who was also part of the conversation, noted that several cricketers had already tried their hand at acting.

Dravid then recalled some of the former India players who explored acting, although he admitted that their ventures did not achieve much success.

“Sunil Gavaskar tried to act. Syed Kirmani tried to act, without much success. Ajay Jadeja did one film. Good thing they stuck to the cricket,”

When Dravid was asked whether he would consider acting himself, the former India captain was quick to rule out the possibility.

“No. I know what my strengths are. I’m not making a fool of myself.”

However, Dravid then brought up Kohli and pointed out a quality that could potentially work in the batter's favour if he ever decided to pursue acting.

“I think Virat has got a tremendous ability to mimic. He mimics people really well. He doesn’t do it very often nowadays, but I remember him as a young kid coming into the team when we were all seniors and… Like, his ability to mimic people was absolutely superb. And he has done so many ad films. He is pretty much a pro at it.”

Dravid picks ‘83’, ‘Ghoomer’ and ‘Lagaan’ as his favourite cricket films

The conversation also shifted towards Dravid's favourite Bollywood films based around cricket. The former India head coach picked Ranveer Singh's 83 and Abhishek Bachchan's Ghoomer, while also praising Aamir Khan's Lagaan.

“Lagaan, I thought, was really good. It was a fantastic film.”

Interestingly, Dravid is not the first prominent figure from the film industry to speak about Kohli's potential as an actor. Casting director Mukesh Chhabra had previously discussed the former India captain's acting abilities while speaking with Ranveer Allahbadia.

Chhabra praised Kohli's personality, background, fitness, and ability to handle success, suggesting that he already possesses several qualities associated with a successful actor.

“He is already a great actor. He is from Delhi, he is a Punjabi. He has seen that life. He has handled success so beautifully. He has maintained himself on every level – competition, looks, fitness, mentally.”

However, Chhabra did not believe Kohli should actually make the switch to films after his cricket career. He felt the former India captain would be better off continuing to focus on his existing strengths.

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“He is also so funny. He will dance, mimic, his comic timing is great. He is doing very well in making the country proud, he should stay where he is and not join films. He should not join films even after retiring from his cricket career. He is genuinely a smart guy, not a cunning one.”

Kohli and Anushka Sharma first met while shooting for an advertisement and later tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Italy in 2018. The couple have two children, daughter Vamika and son Akaay, and have been based in the UK in recent years.