Indian hockey player Sandeep Singh is all set for the release of his biopic Soorma which will hit the theaters on July 13. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh, Taapsee Pannu, and Angad Bedi. Directed by Shaad Ali, the film tells the inspiring life story of Sandeep who made a comeback to Indian hockey team after a freak accident which rendered him almost paralyzed for two years. Sandeep did not lose heart and made a smashing comeback to the hockey field and even went on to captain the Indian side. In a recent interview to a leading daily, the hockey player opened up about why Diljit is the perfect choice to play him in the film.

Sandeep surprisingly said that he never wanted a big star like Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar or Aamir Khan to play him as they would not have suited the part. He, however, maintained that it was not that they cannot play the part but they would not have been convincing as Sandeep Singh, the hockey player. Sandeep aka Flicker Singh stated that he would have been perfectly okay with even a debutant essaying his role, however, the only criterion was that he should be able to portray the role as close to the real as possible.

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Talking about Diljit, the iconic player said that the makers as well as he always had him in mind but they thought that Diljit is not well-known beyond Punjab. However, everything changed after Udta Punjab released and Diljit became a household name in the Hindi belt too which became an added advantage for him to essay the main role.

Sandeep is credited as one of the most dangerous drag-flickers of all time with drag speeds of over 145 km/hr. He is even nicknamed as ‘Flicker Singh’. Sandeep was the leading goal-scorer in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2009 and scored 16 goals in the qualifying tournament for the 2012 London Olympics.