Mumbai: The makers of ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ sprang a surprise when they released Amitabh Bachchan’s look.
Still going strong at 81, Big B plays the character of Ashwatthama in Nag Ashwin’s upcoming sci-fi film inspired by mythology.
And now, Bachchan has used that Ashwatthama look to inspire Team India for next month’s ICC T20 World Cup.
In a video posted by Star Sports India, Bachchan delivers a motivational speech to the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team.
Sporting long hair and beard, Big B appears in dishevelled clothes as he says, “Yeh mahayudh hai, ab ho ja tu taiyaar (This is a great battle, now prepare yourself).”
“Ab ban ja veer, buland kar le apni taqdeer, dikha dum, laga dum (Now, become brave, shape your destiny, show your strength, put in the effort),” Bachchan says in his baritone voice.
“Maan mat tu jeet se kam, garv se uthe har matha, ye mahadwand hai, mahayudh, virodhi se tu nazrein mila, ab hoja tu taiyaar (Do not consider anything less than victory, let every head rise with pride, this is a great struggle, a great battle, face the opponent eye to eye, be prepared),” Bachchan, an avid cricket and sports follower, adds.
The video features images of current Team India stars like Rohit, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, and the team’s exploits.
There are also glimpses of Indian team’s iconic moments featuring former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan during their T20 World Cup final victory over Pakistan in 2007.
Watch the video posted on Instagram:
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‘Kalki 2898 A’, which has a star-studded cast including Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani, will be released in theatres Tamil, Telugu and Hindi on June 27.
Rohit and his teammates, currently competing in the IPL, will fly to the US at the end of this month for the T20 World Cup which is being co-hosted by the West Indies and US.
India will face Ireland (June 5), Pakistan (June 9) and USA (June 12) in New York before playing Canada (June 15) in Florida in the group stage of the tournament.