Suniel Shetty on KL Rahul getting trolled for underperformance: His bat has to talk, me and him talking is not going to help

Actor Suniel Shetty considers cricketer KL Rahul his son, but likes to keep professional talks separate. The actor admits he’s aware that his son-in-law gets trolled for his performance on the cricket field, but he doesn’t like to give too much thought to it.

“I have been trolled in my life. I have been called a bad actor. We have got into this field consciously knowing where we are going. People ask me, ‘Do you tell him something at such times?’. What can I tell him? He plays for the country. The honour of getting selected to play for the country and getting selected for that itself is a huge honour,” says Suniel.

Given that Suniel has been on at the receiving end of trolling, we ask if that helps him understand Rahul’s situation better.

He elaborates, “It’s not about me. But life in general is like that. You might feel low at one point, but high at another. You come back home, sit with that family and stress goes out. Who are these people who are trolling? How important are they? What have they gone through? Sometimes I pity them. If you look at it from their point of view, maybe it’s their frustration. But that’s okay. His bat has to talk. Me or Rahul talking or anybody else talking is not gonna help us.”

The 61-year-old, who starred in the recent web show Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega, adds, “He has to practise and play. There are a lot of reasons (behind underperformance)… You have injuries. You go through highs and lows, so many of the kids are going through that. That’s their journey. They have to learn from that. Life doesn’t end at that. We have to move on. He is a strong boy. He has been at it since the age of 11. I love the way he plays. I am not someone who will ridicule a sportsman for anything. I’m blessed to have Rahul come into the family. But I was Rahul’s fan even before and I’m Rahul’s fan even today.”

His daughter and actor Athiya got married to Rahul in Mumbai in January, and Suniel says that Rahul has fit in the family perfectly.

“For me, he is just like Ahan (Suniel’s son). They are so similar. It is unbelievable. We as a family feel blessed. I look forward to spending time with him. When Rahul is here, it’s about us just being together, doing nothing but just sitting and chatting. I love my Athiya to the end of the moon and back, but I can say it you know from anywhere that Athiya is blessed to have him in her life,” he mentions.

Meanwhile, the actor is busy exploring the OTT space, and is glad that his recent outing in Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega was appreciated by all.

“It is a huge compliment when people come to me and mention that you have got into the skin of the character. I’ve never played a character who has gone rogue,” he says, adding that he is enjoying the new phase of his career.