Sports education should be made compulsory, says Tiger Shroff

From showcasing his dance moves to performing stunts, Tiger Shroff left no stones unturned when he paid a visit to the capital recently. Ahead of his upcoming movie releases — Munna Michael and Adhoora, the crowd-puller spoke about his love for martial arts and Bruce Lee, his favourite superhero — Spiderman and more.  

Tiger has time and again shown his savvy moves on the screen, be it in A Flying Jatt or Heropanti. When quizzed about his earliest memories associated with martial arts, he shared that his love for the art form began when he saw Bruce Lee in action.

“I have always been a huge fan of Bruce Lee. Though, I am nowhere close to such a legend but watching him do these crazy moves inspired me when I was a child. Other than him, I love Spiderman. His super strength and agility, the ability to cling to most surfaces, shoot spider-webs using wrist-mounted devices of his own invention, the ‘web-shooters’, and of course his ‘spider-sense’ still remain my favourites. I wish, I could play Spiderman on the day,” he laughed.

Coming back to the topic, he added. “I love the discipline that comes with martial arts and I love to train. And I also love wrestling, I love watching it and I think, it requires the same amount of discipline and training as well.”

Tiger who was present at the ongoing Super Fight League also expressed that he would love to play Conor McGregor, the Irish professional mixed martial artist, one day. “He is in a great shape and he is a champion. And it is not only because of his talent but also because of his mentality that he is where he is right now. His approach to life and career is inspiring.”

Apart from his passion for martial arts, the actor confessed that he is a huge football buff, and has been playing the sport since his childhood. “If I wasn’t an actor, I’d probably be a football player.”

Tiger also voiced out his opinion and spoke about the importance of self-defence and the need to include it in school curriculums. “I think, it is the most important thing at the moment. Hopefully, some day I will reach a point where my voice will carry more value, and I can strongly contribute to the cause. I would love for every school to incorporate martial arts. Sports education is not getting the emphasis it needs especially in India, and I think we need to change that.” And with regards to several unfortunate incidents in the country, he added, “The more support we give to our girls, the more they will become confident to act and voice out their opinion. I want our girls to enjoy their equal statuses and walk shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the society.”

Lastly, the actor shared that even though he has been getting several action-hero-kind-of-roles, he would love to be more experimental in the future.