Was That a Yorker or a Goal? Ram Charan Calls Bumrah a Footballer, Internet Can’t Stop Laughing

During a rapid fire interaction with fans, Ram Charan was asked to describe some of India’s biggest cricket stars in a few words. His responses flowed smoothly at first. He hailed Sachin Tendulkar for his “long and legendary run,” called MS Dhoni “calm and cool,” described Rohit Sharma as “everybody’s man,” and summed up Virat Kohli in one fiery word: “Fire.”

But when the host mentioned Jasprit Bumrah , Charan accidentally drifted into football territory, praising the pace spearhead for “ taking football so ahead .” The moment instantly triggered laughter in the crowd and within minutes, clips from the event flooded social media timelines. Fans joked that the actor had briefly transformed India’s deadliest fast bowler into a football legend, with many speculating that Charan may have confused Bumrah with Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri .

What followed, however, won the internet over even more than the blunder itself. Late Saturday night, Charan took to X with a candid apology, admitting it was a “ genuine human error ” caused by the excitement and crowd energy. He called himself “forgetful with names,” apologized directly to Bumrah, and praised the cricketer for making Indians proud every time he puts batters “ on the back foot .” Fans applauded the actor’s humility, while fake screenshots claiming Bumrah had trolled Charan back were quickly debunked.

The viral moment has only added to the buzz around Peddi , the upcoming sports drama directed by Buchi Babu Sana and featuring music by A. R. Rahman . Co starring Janhvi Kapoor and backed by the energetic new track Hellallallo , the film is set for release on June 4 . Ironically, a movie built around sports has already produced one of the year’s funniest sporting moments before even hitting theatres.