Sportsmen who turned towards acting in Kollywood

The news of S Sreesanth’s entry in Kollywood has been buzzing all over media. Former cricketer Sreesanth, will be soon seen onscreen once again, not in cricket though but in movies. According to reports, the movie, to be directed by renowned filmmaker Sana Yadireddy, tells a spicy story of a cricketer and IPL. "The film will go on floors in September and we are planning to wrap it up in six months," said Yadireddy. The film will also be dubbed in 14 Indian languages.

Sreesanth was quoted saying, "This is my debut film in South and I am going to work with a big filmmaker like Sana Yadireddy. I can't ask for more. I am looking forward for a good acting career in South". While we wish the former cricketer good luck in his future endeavours be it movies or a re-entry in cricket, we take a look at all the Tamil celebrities who initially were champions in sports...

- Aarti Iyengar

Ajith Kumar – racer
One of the biggest stars of Kollywood, Thala Ajith is a known racer. His passion for driving still persists. Reportedly, incurring debts, the actor had to initially resort to modelling to pay for his passion for motor sports. Reports also suggested that in 2010, he enrolled in the F1A Formula Two Championship. Ajith is also known for performing bike and car stunts on his own.

Genelia D’Souza - sprinter and football player
Born to a Mangalorean Catholic family, Genelia had no inclination towards films or modelling in her early years. Though she is now a popular face in, both, Tamil and Hindi cinema, films happened more by fluke to her. Genelia was a state level athlete, sprinter and National level football player. Now that was a shocking revelation about the pretty girl. Wasn’t it?

Vinay Rai – rugby player
Here's another guy who can kick it real hard. Vinay Rai has played rugby at the professional level. He has always had a keen interest in the sport and was associated to the sport for five years, reported thehindu.com. The actor has also represented India and Bangalore and was part of the Indian squad that toured Bahrain in 2001. Now, when we recollect the blockbuster hit film Unnalae Unnalae, we understand why the rugby scene portrayed by the actor seemed so real.

Vidyut Jamwal - martial arts expert
The Thuppakki villain who touched our hearts with his brilliant action sequences and his ripped physique is also trained in martial arts. In fact, the actor has always performed all the stunts on his own without any stunt double. Vidyut, who has also been a part of the Bollywood fraternity started engaging in martial arts at a very young age. In an interview, he mentioned, "I'm an actor trained in martial arts. I'll never resort to any kind of special effects or computer graphics. What I do for real is what you see onscreen.”

Arjun Sarja – black belt in karate
Black belt holder Arjun Sarja, was incredibly inspired by Bruce Lee’s 1973 movie, Enter The Dragon. Born to an actor parent, Arjun’s father didn’t want for Arjun to step in the glamour industry. However, after much persuasion, the actor entered cinema. A report on Filmibeat.com said that he took up training in Karate after watching the Enter The Dragon at the age of 16 and he even acquired a black belt. His love for Karate remains undiluted till date.

Neetu Chandra - Taekwondo fighter
Glamorous and sensuous Neetu Chandra is a top class Taekwondo fighter! Trained in martial arts and Taekwondo, this pretty damsel of Theeradha Vilayattu Pillai has another side unknown to all. Mastered in the art, she also represented India in Taekwondo Championship, reported Ibnlive.com. The report also stated her saying that she wanted to tie up with a martial arts academy in Tamil Nadu and spread awareness about self-defence among women.

Vishnu Vishal - professional cricketer
Actor Vishnu Vishal, who stormed Kollywood with his highly acclaimed film Vennila Kabbadi Kuzhu, was also a sportsman. Vishnu was a professional cricketer and represented Tamil Nadu in Ranji Trophy matches before he became an actor. He also acted in Jeeva where he had to portray the role of a cricketer. In an interview with Indianexpress.com, the actor also admitted that it was difficult playing a cricketer’s role onscreen as it had to be spontaneous.