Fresh from his triumph at Wimbledon, Leander Paes can't help but smile widely each time he speaks about tennis.

But if you thought India's most celebrated Grand Slam champ was done with surprising us, he's got another 'ace' up his sleeve. After years of speculation, Leander has given his nod to not just one, but two Bollywood films!

Explaining the reason for this huge decision, Lee says, "The first movie I was offered was in 1996. I sat back and thought, 'how interesting', but I wasn't ready." Since then, he received about 11-12 offers, but it was tennis that kept him engrossed. Now, Leander says, he is looking for something that will connect him with people. "One of my strengths is to be able to connect with people, so I look at different mediums to do that. Tennis is one such medium and now, movies will be," he adds.

We are strolling down Bandra Bandstand where people call out to him, shake his hand or click pictures on their mobiles. This connect is what made him say yes to Rajdhani Express, a film to be directed by Ashok Kohli, where he plays a common man. "One of my greatest idols is Mahatma Gandhi, and when I read this script, it struck a chord in me because Gandhiji said, 'Be the change that you would like to see in the world'." About the other film, he can't reveal much. "It's completely opposite of what I'm doing here, but in its own way is tailor made for me," he says.

But what if he doesn't make it as an actor? The tennis star has no illusions about where he stands. "I'm already living a sport where my position changes every Monday. I'm already in a cut-throat business and that too on an international stage. But I'm fearless. No matter what happens, the audience will get passion, dedication and hard work. Whether I'm an actor or not is left to be seen. I'm starting at zero," says Lee.

The next question was about his link-ups. For someone who was linked with Mahima Chaudhary much before he even ventured towards films, what's going to happen now when he's in Bollywood? "I know that it's part and parcel of being a known face. I have dealt with all the ups and downs a career like that can bring. I've lived in a fish bowl for 20 years, there's nothing new that I have to prepare for," he says.