We have known Rahul Bose for his spellbinding performances in Indian and International television and cinema for over three decades. Yet Bose has held the tricolor equally high with his performance and involvement in the Indian Rugby team, becoming the only Indian actor who has been parallelly active as a sportsman ever since he picked both his passions at school.
“I have an actor’s heart and a sportsman’s soul. I love to play as it is my passion, but I act to make a living,”
Bose said, speaking to Life Beyond Numbers on the sidelines of his visit to KIIT University, Bhubaneswar.
Bose has played for India for 11 years and has been part of the Rugby Board after his retirement in 2009. Now he helps share the responsibility of amplifying the popularity of the sport and he is gradually, but definitely, succeeding in it.
At present, some odd 40,000 players are associated with the game. Things have gained further momentum since the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) has provided 27,000 children with clothing and schooling and introduced them to the game of Rugby. With this, 25 students who participated in the KISS program have gone on to represent Indian national teams. The Indian women’s rugby team has also made giant strides, claiming the silver medal at the 2017 Asia Sevens Championship. And now KIIT has become the official Associate Sponsor of the Indian Rugby Team.
Also, read: Khelo Rugby: Bringing The Spirit Of Sport To Disadvantaged Children
Along with this, the Odisha Government is also about to officiate the team’s sponsorship on the coming Independence Day of India, August 15, 2021. With this, over the next year and beyond, scores of schools in the state will have PE teachers equipped to coach students at the local, district, and state levels. But the biggest goal, he says is for all Indian Rugby players to have a defined and promising pathway to make the game a career.
“All national camps for the international tournaments of Rugby will be held at KIIT from now onward. Having reviewed the setup, we would like to mention that everything at the sports facility of the university is within an easy approach. Let’s say within a 5-minute session, there’s a need to attend the swimming session followed by nutrition, or there’s a need to go to the gym; it’s all very convenient. Yet what tops all is the attitude of the KIIT authority. They understand sportsperson and their needs and plan things accordingly,” said Bose.
“Internally Rugby India has made a broad 7-year plan which begins on August 15 this year. The first camp in Bhubaneswar will comprise the Under 18 Girls team for the tournament that is to be held in Uzbekistan on September 18. The next camp will be for the men’s and women’s teams, and they will be going to Uzbekistan on October 30. We are planning to improve our world rankings every year. We plan, and very much hope, to make a mark in the Asian Games in the next 2-6 years. And after that, we are eyeing the Olympics. And so we have divided our preparation and performances into sets of several months from camps to national and international tournaments, and in between, we are planning to keep some bilateral tours. What players need is a great infrastructure and match practice so that their temperament is second to none,” he added.
To fathom his fondness for Rugby, let us delve into his past from where it all started.
Acting came early in Bose’s life when he was just 6, playing the lead in his school play – Tom, The Piper’s Son. Bose says that he loved doing his part instantly and was pleasantly surprised by the effect on the audience. The same teachers who were otherwise strict in their dealings started showering gifts after his performance.
Around 14, Bose was introduced to Rugby at Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai. At that time, he was in the 8th grade, and Rugby was just an optional game. They had to play the game two or three times before deciding whether to pursue it further. And Bose loved it but for all the wrong reasons. However, gradually he realized the high level of resonance within the sport.
“I loved Rugby for all the wrong reasons. I was in my teens and full of aggression . It acted as an outlet for all of that on the field, allowing me to get all muddy and violent. Also, girls fancied boys who played rugby, so it was a win-win. But when I began to play, I realized that you need teamwork to play the game. There’s a sense of bonding, trust, and sacrifice among the players. Also, since it is physically dangerous, you are always looking out for the other person. I discovered the poetry in Rugby; in my opinion, it’s one of the most poetic games – in terms of the ebb and flow – that has ever been invented,”
Rahul shared.
Since then, he has continued to play club rugby and went on to represent India. He was amongst those players who had no sponsors and yet continued to play, just for the love of it.
“Everything that I am today as a human being is because of the sport. It has taught me to lose; it’s given me my best friends. Anybody who puts their body on the line between you and imminent danger should be your best friend for life. It’s given me the pride to play for my country. Rugby has taught me how to come back from nothing when you’ve failed,”
he quotes.
Nonetheless, balancing acting and a career in Rugby has presented its own set of challenges.
“All my contracts forbade me from playing Rugby, and I broke them all. I contravened every single contract from 1998 when I began to play for India, and before in 1994, I broke my nose. I’ve done that four times, so the films were pushed. And from 1994 to 2009, I must’ve done 24 films and what I’d do is, I would first look at the rugby calendar, and I’d see which tournaments India was playing that year, invariably it would be one Sevens tournament and one 15s tournament. So, then I would carve out three months or so – a month of training, two weeks for the tournaments, and then maybe a month in hospital getting stitches or whatever. And then I’d work the film schedule around the remaining nine and a half months,” Bose narrated with a smile.
Ironically, he never made a film on Rugby. However, there has been one on cricket where he was coaching a kid with a wonder bat (Chain Kuli Ki Main Kuli). And so, he is undoubtedly looking forward to any potential future rugby productions.
“Nobody can understand the sport in the film industry as I do. I’ve now played the sport for 37 years, so it’s in every cell of my body. I think it’s a certainty that I will be making that film. It’s a question of only when.”
On the work front, Rahul will be seen in Hoichoi Web Series Robindronath Ekhane Khete Asheni. He will also be seen in an English Comedy Series on an OTT platform which is to be released at the end of the year or in January. There are three more Hindi films in the works. Bose is also writing a script for a film which he plans to direct next year.