Mumbai: Bollywood livewire actor Ranveer Singh has penned an emotional note for his 'hero' and former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who announced his retirement from international cricket.
After Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday, a motley of Bollywood celebrities paid a tribute to the star cricketer.
However, Ranveer, an ardent Dhoni fan, recalled the time he first met Dhoni and even treated his fans to a string of throwback pictures on Instagram.
Along with one image, Ranveer wrote: "This little gem of a photo is one of my prized possessions. It was taken around the year 2007/08 at ND Studio in Karjat. I was about 22 years' old, working as an assistant director. I took up this particular job only because the ad film featured the one and only MS Dhoni."
"I was overworked and underpaid, but I didn't care -- I just wanted to be in his presence. I was even injured at the time, but I worked through the pain in the hope that as a reward for my sincere efforts, I would be granted a chance to briefly meet MSD and maybe get a photo with him."
The "Gully Boy" actor shared he was awestruck when he finally met Dhoni.
He added: "He was so humble, so down-to-earth, full of grace and exuded an unmistakable aura of kindness. My love, respect and reverence for him grew even stronger."
"After I did my first movie, Sapna (who was our common hairstylist at the time) called me one day and said 'hey I know you're a massive MSD fan, he's shooting at Mehboob studio, come and meet him if you'd like'. Man-oh-man! I just dropped everything and rushed to the studio to meet him!"
Ranveer shared that Dhoni was "jovial", "warm" and praised his performance in his debut film "Band Baaja Baaraat".
"We hung out, I had my cap and jersey signed by him, like a true fanboy. That day, I felt like I was walking on the clouds! Since then, every time that I have the good fortune of meeting him, I am left energised and enthused, as if a big brother has blessed me with energy and motivation to go out and be the best that I can be."
Praising Dhoni further, Ranveer said: "MSD is one of the greatest sportsmen to have ever lived. I'm lucky to have witnessed his playing career in my lifetime. A paragon of excellence. An icon of the sport. My hero forever."
Ranveer concluded by thanking the star cricketer for "bringing glory to our great nation and filling a billion hearts with pride".
With a career spanning almost 16 years, Dhoni on Saturday announced his retirement by an Instagram post.
He posted a video montage with pictures at different points of his career along with a caption, "Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout, from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired (sic)."
