Films to keep Paes busy after retirement

Chennai: With four films in his kitty, Indian tennis star Leander Paes is hoping to entertain the audience with his acting skills post retirement.

"I cannot go on entertaining people with my tennis as age catches up. So I am now taking up a new career in film. I had signed up to act in four films to remain active after tennis," the 37-year old Paes said at a feliciation function here on Friday. Paes, who had won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles, including six in mixed event, was replying to a question from a student at the function organised at his alma mater Madras Christian College Higher Secondary school here. Paes is set to make his debut in a film called `Rajdhani Express`, where he is playing a common man. Paes, who has come together again with Mahesh Bhupathi after a gap of nine years on the ATP tour in his quest to win the elusive Australian Open Doubles title, recalled his school days in the city when he was an academy trainee at Vijay Amrithraj`s Britania Amrithraj Tennis Trust.He dedicated his Grand Slam victories to his alma mater. Paes, competing in the ATP Tour 2011 Chennai Open tennis championships along with Bhupathi, was felicitated by the school where he studied from 1986 to 1992 from Class six on its 175 years of existence. "Whatever I am now in life, I owe it to the school and my teachers, who had taught me the values in life, encouraged me to take to sports," Paes said. GJ Manohar, the Headmaster and Correspondent of the school said, "Leander`s teachers recalled that he was mischievous. But he could balance his academics and sport in an organised manner." PTI