Actor-producer Sanjay Suri, known for films such as Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999) and Jhankaar Beats (2003), is a dedicated squash player and has also competed in several tournaments. Most recently, the 55-year-old made it to the semi-finals at the recently concluded second Goa Masters Squash Tournament 2026.
Though he lost in the semis, Sanjay says, “You win some and you lose some, but I’m elated, Bahut acha lag raha hain itne aage jaa ke,” he shared.
Sanjay, who restarted the sport in 2020-21 after a decade-long hiatus, shares, “A friend told me about the Masters group, a category for people aged 35 up to 70. It took me a good eight months to win my first match. Ab umar ho gayi hai and it is a very demanding sport, but I am managing it. With age, a lot of clutter disappears and you just want to take up things you once loved.”
The tournament that concluded last week marked a career highlight for the actor, as he secured a top-four finish as an unseeded player.
Sanjay restarted the sport in 2020-21. “Two years later, a friend encouraged me to compete, and told me about the Masters group—a category for people aged 35 up to 70. It was a bunch of vibrant and passionate people who were absolutely fit and raring to go,” he recalls. “It was in Hyderabad that I played my first tournament. It was from then things just started to pace up.”
For Sanjay, who played in the Junior Nationals as a teenager in Jammu and Kashmir, the achievement comes after a decades-long hiatus from the sport. Now, his passion has placed him on the national circuit. “Though I couldn’t make it to the finals, it’s an achievement for any player. It’s a Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) five-star tournament on the National Circuit. It feels great to achieve something big after I resumed squash after a good 32 years. When I realised I loved it, I thought, why not go back to the sport? With age, a lot of clutter disappears and you just want to take up things you once loved.”
The comeback was challenging for him. “It was not at all easy, and it took me a good eight months to win my first match. When people saw me playing, I was told, ‘Yaar, ismein kharcha bahut hain’ and I was like, ‘You spend so much on drinks and my racquet lasts me over a year easily,’ (laughs). I want to play my favourite sport with all my heart because it’s a journey with no agenda. The love for the game is at its best.”
For the actor, squash is a important element of his well-being. “My game keeps me de-stressed. It’s hard on the body but keeps me super happy, and my family too is loving this side of me. Ab umar ho gayi hain and it is a very demanding sport, but I am managing it. I am shooting and getting back to the sport, balancing my love for squash and my job both. I wrapped two series, a film, and also a TV show with a stint for a few episodes.”
