He plays the young Mahi's confidante. And voila, he's a Ranchi boy himself.

Hailing from Namkum, actor Surjeet Singh, who recently completed shooting the M.S. Dhoni biopic, plays Deepak Bajaj, one of Dhoni's close friends.

Directed by Neeraj Pandey, M.S. Dhoni-The Untold Story, starring Sushant Singh Rajput, Anupam Kher and Kiara Advani, is due for release this September 30.

Surjeet, who was "heavily into sports" during his years at the reputable Bishop Westcott Boys' School, said playing a cricketer in Dhoni's biopic was a delight.

"I must say I enjoyed the role of Deepak Bajaj, one of Dhoni's closest friends, immensely. Deepak is shown staying with Dhoni in one of the railway quarters at Kharagpur, Bengal, when the latter joins Indian Railways. Deepak stays on till Dhoni's cricketing career takes off. In my schooldays, I had played a lot of cricket and football, and was into athletics, javelin throw. So, getting into the groove of a sportsperson for the Dhoni film was thrilling," Surjeet told The Telegraph over the phone from Mumbai.

Surjeet's parents, two elder brothers and their families, uncles, aunts still live at their ancestral house. His father Jagdish Singh and elder brothers look after their construction business.

Sushant's role, of a small-town boy big on talent and dreams, who transitions from a railway ticket collector to a trophy collector, is too well known to be told again.

Asked about his role, Surjeet said: "It's limited to 15 minutes, shot at Morabadi stadium in Ranchi and various places in Kharagpur, but has impact. There is a live cricket match, of which I'm a part. The future cricket captain heeds my advice. But I have not seen previews yet."

Getting the role was sheer luck, he said. "I sent my profile via e mail to Vicky Sadana, the acclaimed casting director of the film, and visited his Juhu office in search of a role last October. I was told by a casting assistant that I was not suitable. But, my email sent earlier turned out to be lucky. The next day, I received a call from Vicky Sir's office offering me the role of Dhoni's friend," Surjeet recalled.

He also spins a surprise.

"In real life, I would like to bowl at M.S. Dhoni in a cricket field," he grins. "I am a good bowler and I can catch any batsman by surprise with my fast and leg spin balls. Had I not taken up modelling and acting, I would have been a cricketer," said Surjeet who shifted base to Mumbai in 2008.

In 2010, he got his first break in a big banner ad film for Haywards Club Soda 5000, Havell Fans, Pan Pasand and Uttar Pradesh government and so on followed. "Then, I landed roles in films R Rajkumar, Koylanchal, The Dream Job. My upcoming film Happy Bhag Jayegi is due for release next month. I have a small role in upcoming film Opium, directed by Manoj Gupta, which goes to the floors this September, and would be shot in Ranchi, Mumbai and Delhi," he added.

From Namkum to Mumbai, it has been a long journey. "Tough too," he added. He stressed he'd like to bowl M.S. Dhoni over one day. If not with the ball, with acting chops, right?