5 Actors who can play the role of Major Dhyan Chand to perfection

Major Dhyan Chand. The Legend. The Man. The Wizard of Hockey. History has many names for India's greatest hockey player. Born to a British Army soldier and a homemaker, the young soldier made a name for himself in field hockey.

What Jesse Owens is to athletics or Sachin Tendulkar is to cricket, Dhyan Chand is to hockey. He scored more than 550 international goals playing for British India. At least 40 of them came at the Olympic games, from 1928 to 1936. In his honor, India celebrates his birthday, 29 August, as its National Sports Day.

Major Dhyan Chand made his Olympic debut at the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928. Of the 29 goals India scored, 14 came from Dhyan Chand. At the Los Angeles Olympics 1932, he scored 12 of the 35 Indian goals. He scored 8 goals in a record match against the United States, which India won 24-1. As the team captain in Berlin, he scored another 12 goals and led the team to a hat-trick gold.

Major Dhyan Chand had a colorful life worth a blockbuster biopic, or even a riveting web series. Sadly, neither has happened till date. The closest was Reema Kagti's "Gold." Kunal Kapoor's Samrat, a charismatic player of the British Indian team, was based on Major Dhyan Chand.

However, things may change for the better. 'Ishqiya' and 'Udta Punjab' fame director Abhishek Chaubey is all set to bring Dhyan Chand's life onto the silver screen. Some media reports even claim that actor Varun Dhawan has turned down the offer to play the legend.

While nobody knows how much of this is true, here are 5 actors who could immortalize the role of Major Dhyan Chand.

1) Vineet Kumar Singh

Vineet Kumar Singh - The man tailor made for the role

If casting for a real life hero requires a resemblance in personality, Vineet Kumar Singh might be the perfect choice to play Dhyan Chand.

Skin tone, height, hairline, personality, acting, you name it and Vineet will do it. Vineet has done it twice. In Mukkabaaz (2018), Vineet Kumar Singh shone in the role of a boxer. Clearly, he knows how to play a sportsperson well.

That same year, Vineet Kumar Singh did 'Gold', a film loosely based on India's journey to its first Olympic gold as a free nation. Vineet played Imtiaz Shah, a devoted player and patriot.

The character was based on Ali Iqtidar Shah Dara. A protege of Dhyan Chand, Ali was part of the team that won gold for British India at the Berlin Olympics. Ali was captured along with the British Army in Singapore.

Seeing how the British abandoned the Indians, Ali joined the Indian National Army. However, after the partition, Ali Dara migrated to Pakistan. He played for Pakistan in the London Olympics in 1948, only to end up in 4th position. Vineet Kumar Singh has the acting skills to immortalize another real-life hockey legend in Major Dhyan Chand.

2) Amit Sadh

Amit Sadh - Another suitable guy for the role

'Kai Po Che' fame Amit Sadh is another actor who can fit the bill.

The son of an army man, Amit must be familiar with the discipline and rigor expected of a soldier. It wouldn't be hard for him to get into Major Dhyan Chand's personality.

Amit was Vineet Kumar Singh's co-star in Gold. Amit played Raghubir Pratap Singh, a heavily distorted version of former India player Kunwar Digvijay Singh. 'Babu' K.D. Singh led India to their 5th consecutive gold medal at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952.

Surely, Amit Sadh would be a great choice for Major Dhyan Chand.

3) Shahid Kapoor

Shahid Kapoor - The actor who almost brought Dingko Singh to silver screen

Shahid Kapoor will be an unconventional but interesting choice for the role of Major Dhyan Chand. He is commercially viable while equally ready to experiment with projects that can exploit his acting potential.

Shahid Kapoor is already in the works of a sports drama, 'Jersey'. Based on the Telugu superhit starring Nani, the movie is about a failed national cricketer who, out of love for his young son, wants to re-enter the Indian team.

Shahid Kapoor is familiar with Abhishek Chaubey's work. In fact, he worked with Chaubey in 'Udta Punjab'. But can he get into the skin of a man as charismatic and complex as Major Dhyan Chand?

While it is too early to judge, Shahid is capable of performing such roles. He is scheduled to play former boxer and 1998 Asian Games gold-medalist Dingko Singh. If he does well, Dhyan Chand's role could follow.

4) Ranveer Singh

Ranveer Singh - An unconventional choice, but can work as well

Another unconventional, perhaps even controversial choice may be Ranveer Singh. The eccentric actor is known for his weird offscreen personality. People often wonder if he deserves the roles he is given, but his acting often proves otherwise.

From "Band Baaja Baaraat" to "Gully Boy," Ranveer has had his fair share of unconventional roles. He plays Kapil Dev in the upcoming movie 83. While he is too tall to play Dhyan Chand, Ranveer can prove to be a surprise package.

Nobody expected Ranveer Singh to do justice to the role of the Maratha warrior in Peshwa Bajirao. But he nailed the diction and almost pulled off a convincing performance, marred only by the unnecessary creative liberties the film took. If Abhishek Chaubey doesn't fall into the same trap, Ranveer Singh can work wonders.

He has the ability to adapt, improvise and overcome. His ability to pick up diction could make him a convincing Dhyan Chand.

5) Anshuman Pushkar

Anshuman Pushkar - A guy who can do to Dhyan Chand what Irrfan Khan did to Paan Singh Tomar

Anshuman Pushkar is a talented actor known for his roles in OTT shows like 'Jamtara', 'Kathmandu Connection', 'Grahan' etc.

Unlike the others in this list, Anshuman is not a commercial actor. But this could work to his advantage. Remember how Irrfan Khan played Paan Singh Tomar to perfection? Anshuman Pushkar has the talent to do that with Dhyan Chand's role.

Let's hope Abhishek Chaubey finds the right man to honor the legend's legacy.