Though they took up acting as their profession, these Bollywood actors also had what it takes to bring laurels for the country in the sphere of sports. Few of them even represented India in some sports on national or international levels. Here’s a list of the actors (in no particular order) who were also once potential athletes.
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1. Rahul Bose
The National award-winning actor represented India’s Rugby team internationally for a long 11 years, before he took retirement in 2008. He played as scrum-half and right-winger in the Indian team. Rahul has made significant efforts to promote the game in India. He has taken up coaching Rugby in several districts around India with the view of spreading awareness of the sport.
2. Deepika Padukone
Actress Deepika Padukone, daughter of one of India’s most successful badminton players Prakash Padukone, played badminton at National Level. She trained in badminton while she was growing up, but left playing to focus on her modeling career. The actor still plays friendly badminton matches to support charitable work.
3. Randeep Hooda
Amongst the glitz and the glam of the acting world, this man finds time to be with the several horses he owns, as well as manage a polo team by the name of Royal Roosters. His love and passion for such a sport stems from his childhood, and has only grown, despite being caught up with acting. Randeep Hooda has also won several medals in polo over time. He wishes to create more opportunities amongst people through his experience in the often considered ‘expensive game’.
4. Saqib Saleem
Saqib Saleem played alongside Virat Kohli during his early days. He has represented Jammu and Kashmir as well as Delhi in the district and state-level cricket before moving on to modeling and subsequently acting in Bollywood. One can’t help but wonder where cricket would have taken him had he continued his pursuit of sports glory.
5. Akshay Kumar
Akshay holds the highest honor in Karate – Katana. He has a 6th-degree black belt in Kuyukai Gōjū-ryū karate, and is also trained in Parkour. His fitness did not take a backseat after he entered the film industry, it has rather been an integral part of his life for a long time. The reason for this was a black belt in taekwondo that was a result of his dedication, devotion, and perfection of martial arts.
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