Mumbai, May 13 : Filmmaker Priyadarshan has professed his love for cricket and said that he feels proud to stand beside player Sanju Samson for a picture.

Tagging himself as a â??cricket loverâ??, Priyadarshan tagged the moment as â??proudâ?? for every â??Malayali cricket fanâ??. He shared the photograph on Instagram. In the image, the two icons are seen standing besides each other looking at the camera and smiling.

â??As a Malayali and a cricket lover, I feel proud to stand beside Sanju Samson for a picture, a proud moment for every Malayali cricket fan @imsanjusamson,â?? the filmmaker wrote as the caption.

Sanju Samson plays for the India national cricket team. He was part of the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cup-winning teams, including a Player of the Tournament performance in 2026. He plays for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and for the Kerala cricket team.

Talking about Priyadarshan, he has been working since 1982 in Hindi and Malayalam cinema. The filmmaker has over 90 movies to his credit, which include blockbusters such as Chitram, Kilukkam, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, De Dana Dan, Bhagam Bhag, and Hera Pheri.

When he started his journey in cinema in the 1980s, he worked in Malayalam films including Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu, Thalavattam, Vellanakalude Nadu, Vandanam and Kilukkam and Megham, to name a few.

He then tried his hand in Hindi cinema with Gardish and Virasat. However, he tasted success with Hera Pheri, Hungama, Hulchul, Garam Masala, Chup Chup Ke, Dhol, Khatta Meetha and Bhool Bhulaiyaa.

His most recent release in â??Bhooth Banglaâ?? with Akshay Kumar. The film marked his second Hindi-language horror-comedy, following Bhool Bhulaiyaa, which was a box-office hit in 2007.

â??Bhooth Banglaâ?? revolves around Akshayâ??s character Arjun, who inherits a haunted ancestral palace in Mangalpur and insists on hosting his sisterâ??s wedding there despite local warnings. The film follows a deadly curse in which a demon spirit, Vadhusur, kills brides.

/IANS