Mumbai, Dec 11 (IANS): Actor Atul Kulkarni says he cherishes the moment he met Ziauddin Yousafzai, father of Pakistani education activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai. Kulkarni feels Ziauddin is a real-life hero.

The actor got a chance to meet Malala's father while working on "Gul Makai", which is based on the Nobel laureate's life. In the film, Atul plays Ziauddin.

"My best memory of the movie will be when I actually met her father in London. When we saw the film, he was sitting right next to me," Atul told IANS.

"Those were some of the precious couple of hours for me, because when you portray the role and the person himself is sitting next to you. He loved it and he invited me to his house," he added.

The actor continued: "I was playing her father's character who is mainly responsible for making what Malala is today. We all know that in that part of the word, it is not very easy for a father to rebel against their entire society, for a simple thing like sending his daughter to school. According to me, he is a great hero."

"Gul Makai" showcases the journey of Malala Yousafzai, her hardship and struggles. The will air on &pictures.