With dreams in his eyes

It’s not only his killer moves and strong, athletic build that makes him a superstar among kabaddi fans.

Behind the strong, aggressive persona of defender Mohit Chillar, lies a soft-spoken, humourous man with an ability to laugh at himself and dance to life’s opportunities and failures in equal measure. The simple boy with big dreams from Nizampur village was part of the fourth season of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. A clerk in the North Western Railway, he was recently signed for Rs 53 lakh for ‘Bengaluru Bulls’.

An overwhelmed, Mohit Chillar talks to Anushka Sivakumar about his training sessions and strategy for the fourth season.

Did you ever expect that you will be the most expensive player in this sport someday?  
Not at all. I never thought that I would be the most expensive player. The money is actually too much. It just happened that way and I am grateful for the faith the team has in me. Our coach, Randhir sir has put a lot of trust in me. He keeps pushing us to work hard and I have to do well this season. However, we are not taking on any pressure. I will just do my best.

What’s your strategy to take ‘Bengaluru Bulls’ to the finals in this season?
It’s important that we learn from our mistakes. We played a total of 7 matches in the previous season. The ones we lost were by a margin of 1 or 2 points. Our defence was a little weak last time so we will work on strengthening it now. With this, hopefully we can take ‘Bengaluru Bulls’ to the final. 

Most strong, top class Kabaddi players hail from Haryana...
I think the ‘Jats’ are a little crazy. They want to show that they can do something in the sport and train with only one aim – of representing the nation in kabaddi. The craze to play kabaddi in the North is a lot more than it is in the South. I think this sport will become very popular in the next 2 years. Now that ‘Pro-Kabaddi League’ has begun and we are getting some recognition, it’s only a matter of time when it becomes as popular as cricket.   

How do you spend your free time?
(Laughs) I hardly get any. Nothing much — just eat, drink and sleep. Once in a while, I spend time with my friends and watch a movie with them but I like being at home and spending time with my family.

Tell us about your diet and training sessions for the game?
We try and avoid fast food now and eat protein-rich food like milk, soya and fruits. I train throughout the year. My day involves a lot of running, practice, workouts and exercise. I play during work as well. I work with the North-Western Railway.
They had taken me through sports quota and there is training everyday. I am blessed to have immense support from my family. I live in a joint family and all of us
practise kabaddi together.