Mike Tyson is all set to enter Bollywood with a big bang. The “baddest man on the planet” has been roped in by the makers of the pan-India film Liger. And as a Bollywood fan we are pretty excited to see him on Big Screen. Mike Tyson, the former world heavyweight boxing, will be seen playing a significant role in Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday starrer. Noted movie critic Taran Adarsh gave a brief of the film’s latest development. He tweeted, “Mike Tyson to feature in Vijay Deverakonda’s ‘Liger‘… Legendary boxer Mike Tyson will portray a significant role in Liger… The pan-India film – starring Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday – is directed by Puri Jagannadh… Currently being shot in Goa.”
Along with the tweet, Taran Adarsh also shared the announcement video. It features snapshots of “Kid Dynamite” Mike Tyson with a message. And it goes like this, “We are proud to announce…For the first time on Indian screens…The man who created history…Unbeatable Icon…Only and only legend, the great Mike Tyson is on board for our prestigious project, Liger.” The clip ends with a poster of the film. Here, we see half split face shots of Vijay Deverakonda and Mike Tyson. The news comes a day before director Puri Jagannadh’s birthday.
Karan Johar was also excited and tweeted a tweet. To welcome the new member in his upcoming film. He tweeted “For the first time ever, the king of the ring will be seen on the big screens of Indian cinema! Welcoming @MikeTyson to the #LIGER team! #NamasteTyson,” he wrote with a promotional video, announcing Mike’s entry to the team.
Fans are pretty excited about Mike joining the crew. Although his role in the movie is yet to be revealed.
But as per the teaser video it appears he will face off with Deverakonda’s character in the boxing ring. Mike played a fictionalised version of himself in the 2009 Hollywood hit film The Hangover and its 2011 sequel The Hangover Part II.
Actor Vijay Deverakonda also shared the exciting news on Twitter. “We promised you Madness. We are just getting started,” he wrote. The South Superstar added, “For the first time on Indian screens. Joining our mass spectacle – Liger, the baddest man on the planet, the god of boxing, the legend, the beast, the greatest of all time…Iron Mike Tyson.” He also added the hashtag “Namaste Tyson.”
Even the lead actress of the movie could not help and shared her happiness with her fans on twitter. Ananya Pandey tweeted “introducing the master of the ring to the Indian screens”.
He has also starred in Ip Man 3, the 2015 film in the popular Hong Kong martial arts film series.
Mike competed from 1985 to 2005 as a professional boxer. He was considered among the greatest boxers of all time. However, in 1992, he was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison but let out in 1995.
Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday recently resumed the Liger shoot. Earlier in May, a teaser for the film was released. The film was up for a September 9 release in five languages – Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam–but was postponed due to the rising Covid-19 cases at that time.