Sreesanth trained for bike stunts in Team 5   

Team 5, the sports-action movie that will mark the acting debut of cricketer S Sreesanth, will finally hit the screens on July 14. The release had been delayed for several months. Sreesanth will play a  motorsport enthusiast.  

According to director Suresh Govind, the actor was his first choice. "When the script was ready, we wanted someone who had a sports background. That's when we heard Sreesanth was acting in a Hindi movie, Cabaret. We approached him, and he was thrilled to a part of Team 5," he adds. 

Sreesanth underwent extensive training to play a bike stuntman. "He hired a trainer and took lessons in bike stunts," says Suresh. "He's invested a lot of time and energy to play Akhil, the protagonist. Sree always had a penchant for bike stunts and is thrilled he could relive it. In fact, there are certain sequences where one can see flashes of a good actor in him." 

Suresh says he is aware of the popular taboo surrounding bike stunts in Kerala. "We want to address this issue. Bike stunts are portrayed in Team 5 as a professional sport, and we do not, in any way, encourage the amateur acts that youngsters do on our streets," says the director. He adds that the same reason caused some issues with the censor clearance, too. 

Team 5 also has a strong romantic track. Nikki Galrani plays Sreesanth's romantic interest. Makarand Despande and Pearley Maaney are significant characters. Besides Malayalam, Team 5 will be released in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu at over 600 screens across the country.