Sports India

Having a Ball
His recent tour of the West Indies won him accolades. Now back in the country, cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is busy chasing his other passion — endorsing brands. First he was spotted at the Shipra Mall in Ghaziabad, where the batsman arrived with friends to watch Neeraj Vora’s Phir Hera Pheri. Later, he inaugurated the new Reebok store in Noida’s Sector 18. ‘‘I really enjoyed the tour and it’s memorable because we won the match after three decades,’’ quips the hard hitter. As for films, he says, ‘‘I prefer comedy and action films.’’ Hopefully, we’ll get a load of some action from the man during the tri-series in Sri Lanka, which is around the corner.

For Laughs
He’s in the habit of having you in splits, be it as the hero’s bete noir in Munnabhai MBBS or with his trademark Parsi bawa jokes. But what has been a forte so far is turning into a trap for Boman Irani. So the actor is now trying to change tracks and do something besides comedy. He will be seen as an Interpol officer and then a Rajput king in his forthcoming films, Farhan Akhtar’s Don and Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Eklavya. The 44-year-old, who was in town recently for a promotional event, has dabbled in pretty much everything from films and theatre to photography and ad films. ‘‘I do what turns me on at the moment. Now I belong to Bollywood, photography has turned into a hobby, and maybe tomorrow I’ll be a cricket commentator,’’ says Irani. Maybe he should just stick to the gags.