MUMBAI: Actor Dulquer Salmaan, who plays a cricketer in the upcoming film "The Zoya Factor", says he is not an avid cricket watcher.

"Honestly speaking, I am not someone who was serious about cricket -- or any sport for that matter -- when I was in school. I have friends who took sports seriously at the school level. Also, I was not an avid cricket watcher, I do not tune in to TV to watch a match that my friends who love cricket religiously do. However, this film has given me a lot of insight (on the game)," Dulquer told IANS, adding that he, however, watched some of the Indian Premier League matches of his favourite team Chennai Super Kings.

"The Zoya Factor" is based on a book of the same name, penned by the author Anuja Chauhan. Directed by Abhishek Sharma, the film features Sonam Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Angad Bedi, Saurabh Shukla among others along with Dulquer.

The actor trained to look true to his character of an international cricketer in the film. "I realised how disciplined our cricketers are. Their level of hard work and dedication towards the game is different. When I started learning some of the tricks, I understood a professional cricketer is lightyears ahead of what I can achieve through workshop and training for the film," he pointed out.

Being the son of the Malayalam superstar Mammootty, the actor has seen the south Indian film industry closely from even before he made his debut with "Second Show" in 2012.

Dulquer went on to act in films like "Ustad Hotel", "Njaan", "Vaayai Moodi Pesavum", "O Kadhal Kanmani", "Charlie". In 2018 he made his Bollywood debut with "Karwaan".

Asked what major difference he finds in the two industries, he mentioned the pre-release media and promotional activities that has become a huge tradition in Bollywood.

Mentioning how awkward he was earlier, Dulquer said: " I think I am becoming better at it now with time because it is certainly not a regular practice in South Indian film industry. I do not have so much experience to understand if media coverage of a film gives an extra push to bring people to the theatre."

"Initially I was little awkward because I did not have so much body of work to talk about…after two films in Hindi and more number of films in south, I have work to talk," he concluded.

IANS