Everyone is crazy about Sachin Tendulkar. Not only cricket fans but Bollywood stars also love him. His full name is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, who is a former Indian international cricketer, who has also captained the Indian national cricket team. But do you know who was the first journalist who interviewed him? We are talking about none other than Tom Alter.
Tom Alter was an Indian actor, best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. Tom Alter played British officers and foreign characters in Bollywood films and became a household name for his portrayal of negative characters. He was inspired to become a Bollywood actor after watching Rajesh Khanna's film Aradhana. He studied at FTII in Pune from 1972 to 1974. He once said, "I came to Mumbai to become Rajesh Khanna; didn't come to act on stage."
While many people are well aware of Tom Alter's filmography, only a few know that before becoming an actor, he was a sports journalist. Tom Alter worked as a sports journalist from 1980 to 1990. He was also the first journalist to video interview Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar in 1988 when he was about to make his debut in cricket.
Tom Alter looked completely like an Englishman by appearance. But contrary to his looks, he was so good at speaking Hindi that he was called the brand ambassador of India. Along with this, the Urdu language was also a big part of his identity.
In September 2017, Tom Alter was diagnosed with stage IV skin cancer. He died on September 29 at his residence in Mumbai. He is survived by his wife Carol Evans, son Jamie, and daughter Afshaan.
Tom Alter is known for Shaktimaan, Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar, Smoke, Hamari Paltan, and Shatranj Ke Khiladi.
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