Vijender Singh: ‘It’s too early to have my biopic’

In an Instagram Live session with Sportstar, he talks about his Bollywood experience, meeting with the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, and more.

Vijender Singh isn’t too sure who the right person to portray him on screen would be.

Vijender Singh’s life is no less than a Bollywood potboiler. From a rookie boxer in the small town of Bhiwani in Haryana, Vijender went on to clinch a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Even now, he remains an undefeated champion in the professional boxing circuit.

The 34-year-old pugilist, who debuted on the silver screen a few years ago with a Bollywood film, ‘ Fugli’, is no stranger to Bollywood either. While he would like to have a biopic on him in the future, Vijender is not too sure who the right choice to portray him on screen would be.

Earlier, there were speculations that Akshay Kumar could play his character on screen. But in an Instagram Live session with Sportstar on Thursday, Vijender cleared the air, saying: “How can Akshay Kumar play my character? There is a huge age difference.”

‘Too early’

“Of course, everyone wants to have a biopic, but I still have a long way to go and there are a lot of things that I want to do. So, it’s too early to have a biopic,” the boxing ace stated.

While his focus is now on the professional boxing circuit, Vijender also plans to take up Bollywood assignments in the near future. “Recently, we were having a discussion with Salman Khan regarding a project. He asked me to meet him in Mumbai, but with the lockdown, that did not happen,” Vijender revealed.

However, as he looks back, Vijender has fond memories of working in the film industry in Mumbai. “That was a very good experience. I loved it. Not many people get a chance to work in Bollywood, so when an opportunity came my way, I lapped it up. I had fun,” Vijender said.

Advice from Amitabh

After ‘Fugli’, he even shared the screen with Sunny Leone, but one advice from the legendary Amitabh Bachchan changed his life. “Amitabh Sir once told me to focus on boxing, and I took his words very seriously. Since then, the focus has been on boxing,” Vijender stated. He still cherishes his first meeting with Bachchan.

“I met him for the first time at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. Abhishek (Bachchan), Jaya (Bachchan) ji were also there. I was so excited to meet him,” Vijender reminisced. “I have met him many times after that and even invited him for my bout in Mumbai. It was a great feeling meeting him. He is full of energy and it is always a pleasure meeting him,” he said.

Vijender also remembers the moment when he caught up with the other Bollywood superstar - Shah Rukh Khan. “I met him in Delhi for a watch launch. Racing driver Karun Chandhok was also there. When he walked on to the stage, I was in awe. Shah Rukh had such an aura. He is a superstar and I admire him a lot, and he inspires me,” the boxing ace said.