Want to give my kids freedom to be what they want: Sachin Tendulkar

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar says through his documentary drama "Sachin: A Billion Dreams", he wants to share a very pertinent message that his parents taught him -- of giving children the freedom to pursue their dreams.

Sachin is a father of two -- son Arjun and daughter Sara.

In a conversation with IANS here last week, he spoke about how much of his success can be credited to how his parents let him chase his dreams, his way, without any of their expectations coming in the way.

Sachin recounted: "My father gave me the freedom to play whichever sport I was fond of... And that freedom came without expectations. The only expectation he had from me was, 'When you play or whatever profession you decide to choose, don't find shortcuts, and give your best... Results will follow.'

"He said these things (success) will not last long with shortcuts, but if you've taken the correct path to get to your destination, then it's a different kind of satisfaction and that stays with you permanently."

It's something he realised when he announced his retirement from competitive cricket.

"The kind of retirement I got... That experience is going to stay with me permanently. That experience was a special one... You can't get people to do all those things for you," Sachin said.

Now, he wants to pass the learning not only to his children but fans too.

"I want to give my children the freedom of what they want to be in life. I just have to guide them, encourage them and support them... Exactly what my parents did for me. I am not old enough to give advice but I can share this message... With this film, I am indirectly sharing that message," he added.

"Sachin: A Billion Dreams", a movie which tells the tale of the highs and lows in Sachin's personal and professional life, is releasing on Friday. A grand premiere of the film was organised in Mumbai on Wednesday night with celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, A.R. Rahman, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli, Arshad Warsi, Maria Goretti and Shreya Ghoshal in attendance.

Earlier in the day, members of the Indian cricket team also attended the special screening of the film. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shami Ahmed, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav and KL Rahul were seen in attendance.

-IANS