Meet the football friends of kolkata

On Sundays, when half the city is yet to wake up from its weekend slumber, they gather one by one at a park in Salt Lake and blend effortlessly into a group of 40-plus members. And once the whistle blows, there’s no stopping the likes of Shoojit Sircar, Upal Sengupta and Babul Supriyo. Even though their busy profiles don’t allow them to meet as regularly as they once would, whenever the trio come together, they are an explosion on the field. Armed with great speed and agility that’s hard to match, these men bond over football, about which they are as passionate as films or music. “Football is my lifeline,” said October maker Shoojit, who was in Russia to catch the matches between Argentina and Iceland, Germany and Mexico and Spain and Portugal.

Upal, who has already left to catch the World Cup action, said he hits the field at least thrice a week. In an interview with us, Babul had once said, “As a child, I would play more cricket than football. Then, when my family moved to Uttarpara, I wanted to enjoy the lush green fields and took to the game. By the time I entered me teenage years, I was already bitten by the football bug. And like every other Bengali, I would play cricket during winter and football in summer. But it was only after moving to Mumbai that I discovered my love for the sport.”

And in the country’s football capital, such friendships are not rare. There are many who play together. Between actors Indrasish Roy and Tota RoyChoudhury, it’s a mutual admiration club. “I admire Totada’s control over the game,” said Indrasish. Anupam Roy and Jisshu U Sengupta, who recently played football in Rabindra Sarobar are in awe of the director’s skills on the field. Even former India skipper Sourav Ganguly is known for his love of the game. He not only
co-owns a football club, but has been part of benefit matches. Here’s a lowdown on the football buddies of Kolkata.

Shoojit Sircar, Babul Supriyo and Upal Sengupta

Shoojit Sircar said he has been playing football since his teenage years. “I have three groups in Kolkata and Mumbai. Here, I play with Upal (Sengupta) and Babul (Supriyo), whenever the latter is in town. In Mumbai, Abhishek (Bachchan), Ranveer (Singh) and I often play benefit matches, while I also practise regularly with Santanu Moitra,” said the director. Upal, vocalist of Chandrabindoo, Babul, singer-actor-politician, and Shoojit play regularly at Salt Lake Central Park, where 40-plus men from different walks of life come together for football. Upal said he now belongs to a new group, but still finds time for his old football friends. “Whenever Babul is in town, he calls up, and we play together,” he said. The musician, an avid fan of Brazil, has already left for Russia to catch his favourite team in action. Babul is also part of another football association in Mumbai, which includes John Abraham and Ranbir Kapoor. In Delhi, where he currently lives, Babul regularly plays football, even if it’s late at night.


Sourav Ganguly and Mithun Chakraborty
It’s no secret that Sourav Ganguly was attracted to football in his growing-up years, before taking up cricket as a career. The former India skipper now co-owns a football club and is a regular at its matches. On the other hand, few know that Mithun Chakraborty was into football at one point in time. “Even at 50, he could easily give young players a run for their money,” said Tota RoyChoudhury about Mithun. The ‘dadas’ came together twice for benefit matches. One such match between Mithun Chakraborty XI and Sourav Ganguly XI was held in 2012 at Mohun Bagan Ground and was meant to raise funds for the star of the 1970s — Gautam Sarkar. Despite captaining two separate teams, they bonded over football like only besties would.

Birsa Dasgupta and Parambrata Chatterjee
They may be as different in their choices as chalk and cheese, but Birsa Dasgupta and Parambrata Chatterjee — fans of Brazil and Argentina respectively — bond over football the most. Said Parambrata, “Birsa and I used to play regularly at Rabindra Sarobar, but now we hardly get time. But after every World Cup match, I discuss it with Anupam, Tonyda (Aniruddha Roychowdhury), Shoojitda and Birsa.” Despite being a Brazil fan, Birsa said Germany is the strongest contender for the cup. “We have a WhatsApp group where we discuss the matches every day. In the course of these discussions, I get to learn a lot about the sport too,” he said.

Jisshu u sengupta and Anupam Roy
Jisshu U Sengupta and Anupam Roy often hit the football ground in their free time. “Whenever I get an opportunity I play football as it increases team spirit,” said Anupam, who also practises with Shoojit (Sircar), Upal (Sengupta) and others, apart from Jisshu. “Shoojitda is just brilliant,” said Anupam, who is supporting Germany this time around. Jisshu, who is recuperating at a nursing home after a surgery, is also watching every match. “I am always game when it comes to sports! I love football as it involves a lot of physical movement,” said the actor, who was earlier supporting Argentina but now has his hopes pinned on Brazil. “After Argentina’s poor show, I had no option but to root for another favourite,” said Jisshu, who enjoys football in the rains.

Tota roychoudhury and Indrasish Roy

Both the actors are rooting for Brazil this World Cup. “I used to love playing football with Mithunda the most, as he understands the game very well. Indrasish too is very enthusiastic about the sport,” said Tota, who played a match in his para only last week. “For me, football is a form of exercise too,” said the actor, whose favourite pastime is to discuss the game with his co-actors. Indrasish, who makes it a point to play football at least four to five times a month, feels it enhances team bonding. “Your game also depends on others in your team. That way, everyone is involved at the same time. Ronodeep Bose too used to play well. Totada handles the game well in crucial times, which shows how well he understands the game,” said Indrasish.


Prosenjit chatterjee and Shaheb Bhattacherjee
Prosenjit Chatterjee, a supporter of Argentina, is already in Russia with wife Arpita and son Trishanjit. Shaheb Bhattacherjee, many years his junior, said the two connect over their love for the same team — Argentina. “In his last World Cup, Messi will not disappoint us,” said Shaheb, who is in constant touch with Prosenjit over WhatsApp. "Bumbada (Prosenjit) is giving me all updates from Russia and not many know that he plays the game pretty well. He is not only flexible, but can run very fast,” said Shaheb, who played a match with him in Shyamnagar. Talking about the match, Shaheb added, “Baba (Mohun Bagan legend Subrata Bhattacharya) had organised the match, where Bumbada, Jisshu, Indrasish and many others played. Bumbada and I started bonding over football from there.”