Leander Paes a hero for reel too

He is used to hogging the limelight, so it shouldn’t surprise perhaps that Leander Paes is trying his hand at acting and has already shot for a month for his Bollywood debut. The film, which is a psychological thriller, also has a few action sequences.

“The first leg of the shooting is over. He shot in various locations in West Bengal as the story is based in Bengal and is directed by a Bengali director,” said Hiranmoy Chatterjee, close friend of the Paes family and the president of Bengal Tennis Association.
Ever the perfectionist, Leander underwent one month’s intensive coaching at Actor Prepares, Anupam Kher’s acting school, to prepare for the role.

“He joined the school to learn the nuances of acting and has become quite good at that. Members of the school have been asked to remain silent till the shooting gets over. Leander trained for over a month,” said a source at Actor Prepares.

Anupam Kher confirmed the development. “I had a confidentiality clause not to speak about him...but since I hear that his family has spoken about it...yes, he did train under me. He makes for a very fine actor. He is as good an actor as a player. I and the dean of Actor Prepares, Yashraj Yadav, prepared him for his debut.
“We worked with him for a month and he satisfied us. I wish him all the best on his acting career and his career as a sportsman,” said Kher.

Chatterjee said the film could be released by the end of 2010.
“Almost half of the film is over and we are waiting for him to give the producer time for one long schedule, following which the film will go into post production immediately. It should be released by the end of this year.

“We have been asked not to divulge too much information at the moment. But we are excited about his debut,” he added. It has been learnt that Leander will be seen on screen with two heroines and “one of them will be a Bengali”. The film will be made in two languages — Hindi and Bengali.