Sons of The Soil - Jaipur Pink Panthers

Yeah, come.

Okay?

Who is Abhishek Bachchan?

Personality, I would say passionate.

I don't like losing.

Fair.

Still don't like losing.

And I'd like to believe affable,

but not when I'm losing.

AB!

AB! AB!

AB! AB! AB!

Being part of this Kabaddi family

is a source of huge, huge contentment for me.

Thank you.

I get to live vicariously through my team.

Come on!

This season is about...

rebirth.

It's the rebirth of the Jaipur Pink Panthers.

So, this year, we went for youth.

Listen, whoever is playing for the first time,

don't think about the crowd, the lights, nothing.

Don't feel any pressure.

I was very clear that I wanted a team...

that is hungry.

That hunger to win.

Don't get scared, play without fear.

But having seen an implosion

of the Jaipur Pink Panthers in the past...

Luck has not been on our side.

I'm going to keep that intensity

of expectation onto them...

because I'd like to believe that

these youngsters will respond to that.

Kabaddi.

Kabaddi.

Kabaddi.

Kabaddi.

Kabaddi.

Kabaddi.

Kabaddi.

Kabaddi is in every

Indian citizen's heart.

This land gives birth to Kabaddi players.

This game has taken me to heights

that I had not even imagined.

Kabaddi is in their hearts and body.

Everything I have achieved in life

is because of Kabaddi.

Pro Kabaddi League

has totally changed players' lifestyle.

Jaipur Pink Panthers!

This team is very important to me, Deepak.

I have gone through a lot for this team.

Oh! Oh God!

Don't run away from the battle.

You're the best!

What can I say when you aren't listening to anything?

Your team hasn't been able to win

a single match in the last month.

They choked towards the end.

They had no energy.

People are already talking about

how we were a flash in the pan,

and we just got lucky.

If you're going to lose, at least lose against a better team.

You won't lose your honour that way.

If you had taken just one point, we would've won.

Learn from your mistakes. Learn.

The raiders' performance in yesterday's game was shameful. Shameful.

Every second is important in Kabaddi.

I want you to play like this.

I am giving the team to you all.

Make me proud.

-Panthers. -Come on, boys.

Where do I begin?

Well, this story actually started...

almost 3,000 to 4,000 years ago,

so,

there's a lot to tell.

I just show up at the right time.

Here we have a sport which has

a huge history to it.

India will win.

It is India's indigenous sport.

It's played along the length

and the breadth of India.

It has its origins in Hindu mythology.

It is popularly believed that

the origin came from the Mahabharata

and the story of Abhimanyu and the Chakravyuha.

Medal. Medal.

The Chakravyuha was believed to be

a battle formation

consisting of seven circular positions,

and Abhimanyu was the lone warrior

who got stuck in the middle of it.

Hence, you have the one raider

against seven defenders.

It's a very simple game.

You just draw some lines on the ground, make two teams

and you can play Kabaddi anywhere.

Teams take it in turns to send

one raider into the opponents' half.

The raider scores a point for each player he touches,

if he makes it back to his own half without getting caught.

When you first see modern Kabaddi,

it kind of shocks you.

The colourful mats and the lights

and the music and the atmosphere.

I thought if you could take a sport

as viscerally Indian as Kabaddi,

and give that the pizzazz

of a league like an IPL,

wouldn't that be fun?

You will see how much it has modernised.

Let him come.

From the sport which is very rarely

shown on television,

to being viewed by 433 million people.

I've based my whole career

on trying to build indigenous brands,

I never thought it would pick up so quickly.

Ladies and gentlemen!

This is where it all begins!

Yes, this is the start of an epic saga

for the game of Kabaddi.

I have just come here to show my support.

The journey of a lot of these PKL players

has been that typical rags-to-riches story.

Legends will be born.

I don't think anybody ever dreamt that

this would happen to Kabaddi.

Play a nice song.

I need to go to the washroom.

The preseason camp should be held

at a high-altitude place

which has a fresh

and pollution-free atmosphere.

The climate is very important.

Usually, this kind of training

is given to the army.

We are trying

to build the hamstring and calf-muscle strength.

They've gone crazy.

They made us climb a mountain. My knees are aching.

We have to play Kabaddi as well.

-The coach... -The coach had five packets of Maggi.

And he is trying to digest them by torturing us.

The other coach had ten packets.

-Hello. -Hello.

A girl or a boy? He's a boy!

Amit Hooda is encouraging the guys.

He is like, "Keep moving. What's wrong? You can do it."

He isn't Amit Hooda, he is Amit Buddha (oldie).

Sandeep thinks I am like his dad.

I am talking about our teammate.

Due to the lack of fitness,

our team would do well

in the initial ten to fifteen minutes.

We'd have a lead of ten to twelve points.

But towards the end of the match,

or after 40 minutes,

we'd be trailing by five points.

Don't splash too much!

One, two, three...

Take a dip!

The average age of our team is 21 years.

Youngsters always have a hunger to perform well.

Priyank is hiding.

We have given him a good bath today.

Whoever has that hunger

will definitely perform well.

When I told my friends and acquaintances,

"Look,

I have bought a Kabaddi team."

They would jokingly ask me.

"So what next, Gilli-Danda?"

When I decided that okay, I am going to do this.

Logistically, I had no idea what to do.

Let me be honest. I knew jack shit.

I only know one person who can do all of this.

And I called my friend Bunty.

Bunty, apart from being

a very successful producer of films,

also runs an event management company.

He said, "Yeah, everything is okay.

You know, I just want to tell you that

I bought a Kabaddi team."

He is never going to say no to me.

Kabaddi team for what?

He was so excited.

I said, "Shit, man. This is--"

His excitement actually rubbed off on me.

One point to Jaipur Pink Panthers.

It was an uncharted territory for all of us.

We have the first

Star Sports Pro Kabaddi title winner,

Jaipur Pink Panthers.