For the very first time, the king of the ring is coming to Bollywood. Mike Tyson, the boxing legend is on his way to Bollywood. On Monday, 27th September 2021, director Karan Johar announced that the former professional boxer whom the world considers to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time will join Vijay Devrakonda and Ananya Panday in their forthcoming film ‘Liger’. This evening, Karan tweeted, “For the very 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”.
This star producer also released a black and white clip to introduce Tyson. It said, “We are proud to announce, for the first time on Indian screens. The man who created history. Unbeatable icon, one and only legend, the great Mike Tyson, is on board for our prestigious project.” As per the clip, it would not be of any surprise if we see Vijay stepping in the ring in this sports drama. The audience might see him taking on ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’, aka, Tyson in the boxing ring.
Vijay is very ecstatic about the whole project. He took to his handle to share the clip. He tweeted, “We promised you Madness! We are just getting started. 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. #NamasteTYSON.”
This will be the first time we will see the boxing superstar in action on the big screen. However, it will not be the first time that the directors asked him to star in a Bollywood movie. In the year 2007, the media reported that a director approached the champ. The producer Firoz Nadiadwala asked him to star in his film ‘Fool n Final’. Tyson was reported to make a special appearance in a film. The film starred Sunny Deol, Shahid Kapoor, Suniel Shett, and Jackie Shroff. The film ‘Liger’ was supposed to be released in September 2020. However, it was delayed due to the pandemic. Johar and Deverakonda expressed concern over a rise in COVID-19 cases in India. They explained their decision to hold back the release of the teaser trailer of the film.
The statement said, “During these testing times, we hope you all are staying indoors and taking care of yourself and your loved ones. We were all geared up to reveal a power-packed teaser for “Liger” on 19th May. However, due to the current scenario and environment that our country is facing, we have decided to postpone the same in the hope to share it with the world at a better time for us all.” ‘Liger’ will have a pan-India theatrical release. It will be released in 5 languages- Hindi, Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam and Kannada.
