Rahul Bose: Would like to play Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in biopic

Rahul Bose poses during the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM) 2012 in Mumbai on January 15, 2012. (Picture courtesy/AFP)

Actor Rahul Bose, who was a part of Indian national rugby team, has expressed his desire to play Nepali-Indian mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, who was one of the first two mountaineers to scale Mount Everest along with Sir Edmund Hillary.

Rahul expressed his desire to play Sherpa Tenzing when he was asked which sportsperson's biopic he would love to essay on screen.

"I haven't thought about this as yet. In 'Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii', I played the Indian cricket captain but our current captain (Virat Kohli) is a genius. I made a biopic called 'Poorna: Courage Has No Limit', which was based on Malavath Poorna, the youngest girl to climb Mount Everest. Maybe I would like to play Tenzing Norgay, who climbed Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary. I think that would be really challenging," said the actor-filmmaker while interacting with the media at the red carpet of Teacher's Golden Thistle Awards 2019.

Rahul is considered one of the fittest actors of Bollywood, thanks to his sporting background. In 1998, he was part of the first Indian national rugby team to play in an international event, the Asian Rugby Football Union Championship.

Tenzing Norgay, who is often referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer. He was one of the first two individuals known to reach the summit of Mount Everest, when he accomplished the task with Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953. Time magazine named Tenzing as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Sharing his association with the awards function he has turned out for, Rahul said: "Actually, I am not nominated in this awards ceremony. Since last three months, I have been hosting a show called 'Teacher's Genuine Stories', where I have been travelling across the country, looking for great singers, artists, painters, poets and musicians."

Talking about his show "Teacher's Genuine Stories" on the Viu digital platform, Bose said: "I have a very up-to-date knowledge about artists, musicians and painters of our country but the kind of talent I met is really special. In the show, I interacted with a folk singing troupe of Nagaland, a dance troupe of Bangalore, and two brothers who are painters and have made a 350-metre painting in Yerawada Jail. I knew none of them, so I was surprised. At the same time, I felt happy that we have an immense amount of talent in our country, so it's difficult to keep up with how much there is. Through the show, we have tried to discover these hidden talents. Hopefully, there will be a second season."

Rahul Bose was last seen on screen in Kamal Haasan's bilingual film "Vishwaroopam II".

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