Ranveer Singh keen on Lalit Modi biopic, claims ex-IPL boss
What's the story
Former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi has revealed that Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh was keen on playing him in a biopic. The news comes as Modi is currently working on a film based on his life. In an interview with ANI, he revealed, "It's all being scripted right now. I've already sat (in) hundreds of interviews." "I have a whole team under Sneha Rajani, who used to run Sony."
Actor's interest
'I didn't know Ranveer. I knew Deepika...'
Modi added, "Ranveer wants to play me. He came and saw me. I would like him to play." "But if he has the time, now he's become so big. I didn't know Ranveer. I knew Deepika (Padukone) very well. I never met Ranveer." "One day, I get a call saying Ranveer wants to see you. And he comes to London to see me a few years ago, two years ago."
Actor's praise
'Whether he still wants to play me or not...'
Modi said, "He (Singh) said in his life, if there was one role he wanted to play, it would be Lalit Modi as commissioner. It wasn't me asking him." "I think he's great. Without doubt, he's amazing. And what he has done with Dhurandhar is amazing." "Whether he still wants to play me or not, but two years ago, we sat here, right in this house, right here, and we talked about him playing...But we are now scripting it."
Underworld connection
Life-threatening intimidation from Dawood Ibrahim
In a shocking revelation, Modi also opened up about the alleged life-threatening intimidation he faced from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his crime syndicate. He recalled an incident from 2012 where a London-based fixer arranged a late-night meeting at the penthouse of an influential person named Baba. During this meeting, Baba allegedly called Ibrahim directly on a satellite phone to pressure Modi into facilitating an IPL franchise for his syndicate.
Global response
Law enforcement agencies had to intervene
Modi's refusal to comply with Ibrahim's demands reportedly triggered a wave of coordinated retaliation across the globe, forcing law enforcement agencies to intervene. Modi is best known for being the former chairman of the IPL and serving as BCCI vice-president from 2005 to 2010. He also held prominent administrative positions in domestic cricket, including president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association and vice-president of the Punjab Cricket Association.