JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
EXCLUSIVE: Abhishek Bachchan talks about Sons of The Soil & Jaipur Pink Panthers: Emotionally invested in team
As sports docu-series Sons of The Soil is set to release on the digital platform, Abhishek Bachchan has opened up on the series and his connection with the team.
Abhishek Bachchan has been on a roll these days. After all, the actor has won millions of hearts with his stint in Anurag Basu’s Ludo and also has some interesting projects in the pipeline. But apart from his movie, junior Bachchan has also been the talk of the town for the upcoming docu-series Sons of The Soil. The movie happens to be based on Abhishek’s Kabaddi team name the Jaipur Pink Panthers. The series will be releasing on OTT platforms on December 4 and the superstar is quite excited about the same.
In an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, Abhishek got candid about Sons of The Soil and stated that the series is quite special as he is emotionally connected with the team. Furthermore, the superstar also spoke about the journey of his team and the postponement of the Pro Kabaddi League season 8.
Here are the excerpts of the interview:
Tell us something about the sports docu-series Sons of The Soil
It is a docu-series on my Kabaddi team Jaipur Pink Panther. Amazon Prime Video has decided to make docu-series following the Jaipur Pink Panther and documented through an entire season last year and then into this year. So, it’s behind the scene look at how the team made, what all the players are like in their personal and professional life and it’s followed them through the whole season.
Your Kabaddi team Jaipur Pink Panthers have come a long way in the league. How do you see the journey so far?
I have not just financially but emotionally invested in the team. I am very proud to see from where we started and how we started to today becoming one of the biggest Kabaddi teams in India. It’s a matter of great pride. It’s something that I work very hard on and I am very happy and very proud and thankful to everybody who has played for the franchise and who have worked with the franchise. It’s been a great journey so far and I am looking forward to the future.
How did the name Pink Panther come up?
When I was a kid my father used to refer to me as a Tiger and as a child, one felt like I need to respond to that. So, one day he said, ‘Hey Tiger! How are you?’ and I replied, ‘I am fine Panther, How are you?’. So that’s how Panther came, it’s what I used to father as a kid. Pink is my daughter’s favourite colour. Jaipur is the city where Aishwarya and I came together. Also, Pink Panther is the film that my wife has made. So, everything just fell into place and it has a very personal connect.
Ups and downs are a part of the game. While we have always seen you cheering up for your team, tell us how do you fight the lows?
It is very difficult, especially being a team owner, because the end result isn’t really in your hand. Like the players, we are not physically on the field through the match to be able to influence the end result. In any sport, it’s very difficult to deal with the loss and we are no different. I am a very involved team owner. I attend as many matches as I can, I stay with the team, travel with them and then when they are practising, I eat with the team, so I am completely hands on. So, you take it even more personally at that time.
Pro Kabaddi League season 8 has been postponed to 2021 due to COVID 19; What’s your take on that…
I think this is the right decision. This is a decision which obviously Pro Kabaddi league has been discussing with the owner of the franchise for several months now. And obviously, they felt that the safety of the players and the officials are important. Keeping everything in mind, they decided to cancel this year’s tournament and we will be going ahead with next year.
Latest Articles
