Lack of Infrastructure plagues Indian Football: Arshad Warsi

New Delhi, Nov 23: Vivek Agnihotri, director of Arshad Warsi's latest film 'Goal', says watching him play football on screen reminds him of Argentinean Soccer star Diego Maradona.

Arshad, while thrilled at being likened to Maradona, however, says the commonalities between him and the Soccer star are limited to the build of their bodies rather than anything else.

''While shooting for the film in the United Kingdom, a lot of people, including the director, often said seeing me on the soccer field in 'Goal' reminded them of Diego Maradona. However, I feel this is because like Maradona, I also have a strong build,'' Arshad said on the eve of the release of 'Goal'.

He may brush off all comparisons with the Argentinean soccer player but those close to him vouch for the fact that post his stint with 'Goal', Arshad had himself become quite a skilled player of the game.

Being produced by UTV, 'Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal' deals with the travails of Southall United, a low profile English football club consisting of Asians who are prevented from playing big competitions due to racial discrimination.

The film is the story of triumphs of the team in the face of all odds.

The cast of the film, including Arshad along with John Abraham, Boman Irani, underwent a rigorous training session of football before the commencement of the shooting.

''Doing the film definitely involved a lot of hard work. This was necessary because while as actors, one can sometimes fake emotions and get away with it, but as a sportsperson, you cannot fake your skills. So, we all had to undergo a rigorous training session and learn the various nuances and intricacies of the sport.

After the training session, I can say I am able to play fairly good football,''Arshad, better known in the public psyche for the character 'Circuit' of the famous Munnabhai series, told UNI