Abhishek Bachchan's innate passion for sports has transformed the Bollywood actor into an entrepreneur
Bachchan believes that his transformation as a businessman has more to do with his instincts. The ‘business part’ of being an entrepreneur, the actor explains, is something that most people learn in colleges as part of a management studies course. “But entrepreneurship and acting can’t be taught. They have to be done with passion,” he adds.
Seven years ago, when commentator Charu Sharma—who co-founded Mashal Sports along with businessman Anand Mahindra—reached out to Bachchan at a social event asking him to look into kabaddi, the actor was stumped because he was under the impression that kabaddi was a rural sport played in mud. Intrigued by the thought, Bachchan decided to explore the idea further.
“I went to watch a couple of matches in the suburbs of Mumbai,” he recounts. What he witnessed left him spellbound. At certain venues, there were close to 8,000-10,000 people watching and cheering the players. “That’s when I decided that I had to be a part of this,” he says, explaining how the perception of kabaddi has changed over the years. Modern kabaddi, according to him, is fast, energetic and competitive. It is played on mats and is exhilarating to watch.
Back in 2014, however, kabaddi was still largely confined to rural areas, resulting in the new league finding no takers. For Bachchan to put his hat in the ring was nothing short of a leap of faith. “At the end of the day, passion and belief count a lot more than risk-taking ability for any entrepreneur,” he reiterates.
“ His spirit of a thinking investor, and an entrepreneur betting on his gut feel and passion makes him stand out.”
Harish bIjoor, founder, Harish Bijoor Consults
(This story appears in the 07 June, 2019 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)