Sanju Samson’s response to Basil Joseph’s film offer gets the audience laughing

While Athiradi continues its successful run in theatres, one of the film’s most interesting behind-the-scenes stories has now come directly from cricketer Sanju Samson himself. The Rajasthan Royals captain has revealed why he chose not to act in the film, despite being offered a role by his close friend Basil Joseph.

The light-hearted exchange happened during the trailer launch event of the Tamil version of Athiradi in Chennai, where Sanju and Basil shared the stage. Directed by Arun Anirudhan, the film has been drawing audiences in Malayalam, and the Chennai event quickly turned into an entertaining conversation about cinema, cricket, and friendship.

During the interaction, the host asked Sanju why he had turned down the opportunity to act in the film despite his close bond with Basil. Sanju, known for his calm presence on the cricket field, responded with humour.

According to him, the role offered was simply too small.
“I need a big role,” Sanju joked, drawing laughter from the audience. When asked what kind of character he was expecting, the cricketer playfully said Basil already knew the answer since “he is a big director.”

Basil joined the banter and promised that he would one day cast Sanju in a proper “mass and stylish” role. He then revealed what he had originally planned for the cricketer in Athiradi — a mass auto driver character whose vehicle was named “Sixer.”

The moment became even more entertaining when Sanju responded with a signature-style gesture reminiscent of Rajinikanth and quipped, “Wasn’t it auto drivers who showed real mass in Tamil Nadu?”

The easy camaraderie between the two friends became one of the highlights of the event. Sanju also clarified that he attended the trailer launch mainly because of his friendship with Basil.

The cricketer admitted that his packed IPL schedule had prevented him from watching the Malayalam version of Athiradi in theatres so far. But he said he plans to watch both the Malayalam and Tamil versions soon.

“I couldn’t watch the Malayalam version because of the IPL rush. I want to watch it in both languages. After every match, he calls me and says things like, ‘You shouldn’t have played that shot.’ So now I should also watch his film and give my comments,” Sanju said with a smile.