When I finally met him, I was completely awestruck, says the actor.
Bollywood heartthrob Ranveer Singh on Sunday (August 16) paid the master finisher and Indian cricket legend MS Dhoni a tribute with some unseen throwback pictures on social media.
Ranbeer, whose association with cricket is a well-known phenomenon by now thanks to his latest assignment “83” – a film based on India’s maiden World Cup triumph under Kapil Dev in1983, also wrote a heartfelt note for Dhoni after former Indian captain announced his retirement on August 15, 2020.
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MS Dhoni, the best finisher in cricket, stunned the entire cricketing world and his global fans with his sudden announcement of retirement from International cricket on Instagram on Saturday evening, leaving millions of cricket fans heartbroken after a celebrated career of 15 years.
Following the heart-breaking development emerged, social media flooded in with wishes and tributes for the legendary cricketers from all across the planet including the ‘Bajirao Mastani’ actor.
Taking to his official Instagram handle, Ranveer shared a couple of never seen before pictures of him and legendary wicketkeeper-batsman along with a heartwarming message, as well as, recalled a beautiful anecdote when he first met Dhoni for an ad shoot in which he was working as the Assistant Director and how the love and respect for the legendary cricketer increased at every step.
He further went on to write how humble, down-to-earth person Dhoni is and claimed to be a very big fan of Captain Cool while revealing the moment from his first film when he dropped everything to and rushed to meet Dhoni who was shooting nearby.
Ranveer's post reads: “This little gem of a photo is one of my prized possessions. It was taken around the year 2007/08 at ND Studio in Karjat. I was about 22 years old, working as an assistant director. I took up this particular job only because the ad film featured the one & only MS Dhoni. I was overworked and underpaid, but I didn’t care- I just wanted to be in His presence. I was even injured at the time, but I worked through the pain in the hope that as a reward for my sincere efforts, I would be granted a chance to briefly meet MSD and maybe get a photo with him. When I finally met him, I was completely awestruck. He was so humble, so down-to-earth, full of grace, and exuded an unmistakable aura of kindness. My love, respect, and reverence for him grew even stronger.
After I did my first movie, Sapna (who was our common hairstylist at the time) called me one day and said ‘hey I know you’re a massive MSD fan, he’s shooting at Mehboob studio, come & meet him if you’d like’. Man-oh-man! I just dropped everything and rushed to the studio to meet him! He was jovial and warm and praised my performance in BBB. We hung out, I had my cap and jersey signed by him, like a true fanboy. That day, I felt like I was walking on the clouds!”
It further reads: “Since then, every time that I have the good fortune of meeting him, I am left energized and enthused, as if a big brother has blessed me with energy and motivation to go out and be the best that I can be. MSD is one of the greatest sportsmen to have ever lived. I’m lucky to have witnessed his playing career in my lifetime. A paragon of excellence. An icon of the sport. My hero forever.
Thank you Mahi Bhai for bringing glory to our great nation and filling a billion hearts with pride. #MSD the #GOAT"
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