Reinvention is paramount for any public figure to maintain both prominence and influence over a sustainable period. The greatest of celebrities have failed to strike a chord with the younger audiences beyond a point, but at 61 Sunil Shetty is still a fashion icon and one of the most notable Bollywood stars to take an active interest in the world of sports.
The Bollywood actor started as an action hero, who delved into multiple genres like comedy and drama with equal ease. Last month, he acquired a minority stake in the Pro Panja League, a franchise-based tournament for arm wrestling launched by celebrity couple Pravin Dabas and Preeti Jhangiani.
As Kochi KD’s beat Kiraak Hyderabad in the summit clash of the inaugural season, Shetty’s addition brings about a significant value addition to the overall popularity of this competition. Having been telecast live on the Sony Sports network, the Pro Panja League has been a hit amongst the audience courtesy of its simple rules but fast-paced action. For the Hera Pheri star, his love for the game traces back to his growing-up days when he used to arm-wrestle with his friends in a show of strength contest. For a simple sport like that to evolve and rebrand into a franchise-based model is simply remarkable and Shetty has high hopes for this venture.
“Lots of childhood memories because we used to show our strength by arm-wrestling. You know, growing up, on that bench in school or the canteen, we used to play panja. Girls in class used to take the boys on and even though they were lean, they put down quite a few people. That is a thought that stays with me. I always feel for an individual to get into the sport the entry point is very cheap. To run the league is an altogether different question but at the entry point, it is very cheap. So people can get attracted towards it very cheaply and the results are very good,” Shetty said in an exclusive interaction with CNBC-TV18.
Shetty has never hidden the fact that he wished to play cricket professionally as a kid. He trained hard for the sport but destiny had other plans in place for him. As destiny would have had it, cricket came back into his life in the form of family, with daughter Athiya marrying Indian batter KL Rahul late last year. However, Shetty has taken a leaf out of the book of the hugely successful Indian Premier League (IPL) model. Many interlinked IPL to be an entertainment extravaganza when it commenced, only for the league to become the financial backbone of the entire cricketing fraternity of the country. With his investment in the Pro Panja League, Shetty wishes to give back to the society that has showered him with love and affection all this while. “I am an obsessive sportsman. I was the brand ambassador for hockey. I am the ambassador for NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency). So wherever I am getting an opportunity to get associated with sport, I jump onto it. But at the same time here it is a brilliant business proposition also. If you can encourage children and get them onto sport, build teams, build a league, and generate revenue – what has the IPL done? It has given talent to the country and it has given a livelihood to families. So, if anything like kabaddi has, if this can give a livelihood to someone then why not?” Shetty asserted.
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In addition to his entertaining acting skills, Shetty is also renowned his sharp business acumen. He owns multiple businesses like Mischief, Popcorn Entertainment Pvt Ltd, S2 Realty & Developments, and Sai Estate Management & Skills Institute (SEMSI) amongst others. The Kaante star has invested in ventures like Beardo, Fittr, Hakim’s Aalim salon, Metaman, Vieroots, etc. He describes himself as a sportsman at heart but his brain is embroiled deeply in the business world. Combine that with the star attraction that he brings in and the Pro Panja League has secured a truly power-packed investor in their ranks. Irrespective of the minority stake, Shetty insists that he wishes to work at the grassroots level to help grow the sporting property.
“I have been very lucky with what I do. Because I am very passionate, I give it my all. For me, taking ownership of this thing is very important. I might be a minority stakeholder but I will take ownership of this thing. I will make myself available. I will want to get into schools, colleges. I will try and make myself available to go to these places and spread the word, which is important. The effort that you take to build the brand is more important than anything. Even personally, my brand, despite failure when it came on a Friday held me. That is because of whatever I do, I do with a lot of passion,” he explained.
The Pro Panja League was launched in 2020 but it only took small steps to start. It held one-off events, exhibition matches, and ranking tournaments before kicking off the inaugural full-fledged tournament this year. The objective was to develop a talented pipeline of players and also gain abundant traction on social media prior before commencing the two-week-long competition. Shetty did not lose confidence in the founders or the format over the last three years. He expressed that the league attracted interest amongst diverse audience bases, as enumerated by his recent interaction with certain stakeholders.
“Never because they have reached here, which means it has only grown now. I see it grow now. I have great connections and if I can get the right people on board to come in and be that investor who understands the market even better than us, it will be great. We have kind of already identified the people that we want to work with. This time, the numbers are looking good from the point of view of TRPs. Sony is excited about it, which says a lot. I see a lot of people talking to me about the Panja League. I was in a meeting right now; it’s a listed company and the first thing they said that ‘We hear Panja is doing well.’ When somebody else tells you how things are doing, it comes out well,” Shetty signed off.
(Edited by Anjali Jha)
First Published: Aug 14, 2023 11:42 AM IST
