The steady influx of many popular stars from across the film as well as the sports world has helped in the promotion of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) even further. This season, too, was no exception as a host of celebrities descended to make the fourth installment of the PKL an absolutely star-studded affair.
Needless to say their constant support has been instrumental in giving such a huge platform to India’s high-energy contact sport of kabaddi and the players.
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Here are 10 celebs who appeared during the glittering five weeks of the fourth edition of PKL:
1. Hrithik Roshan
The most-awaited final night was graced by none other than Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan. Resplendent in desi attire, the heartthrob, who will be seen in the upcoming historical drama ‘Mohenjo Daro’, gave a stirring rendition of the national anthem that received a lot of cheers from the crowd. Roshan, who was accompanied by his Mohenjo Daro co-star Pooja Hegde, later called it a ‘proud moment’.
2. Chitrangada Singh
Actress Chitrangada Singh was given the responsibility of singing the national anthem on the day of the semi-finals and later admitted it meant a lot to her. The ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi’ star was thrilled to experience the ‘crazy energy’ of the PKL ambience and even participated in a ‘Dizzy Kabaddi’ challenge.
3. Richa Chadha
Flying high after the success of her Cannes award-winning film ‘Masaan’, actress Richa Chadha had the honour of singing the national anthem in front of her home crowd at Delhi. On being quizzed later, she revealed that she used to play the sport as a kid and her favorite PKL team is of course Dabang Delhi. Richa also hailed the introduction of women’s kabaddi this season and encouraged the kabaddi stars to keep on playing and enthralling the fans.
4. Sunny Leone
The Mumbai leg of the PKL was expectedly filled with stars who came to show their support to India’s indigenous sport. One of them was Bollywood diva Sunny Leone, who looked regal in a white Anarkali suit as she sang the national anthem. Despite not being a singer, she did a commendable job and later said it was a challenge as well as a huge honour to get this rare opportunity.
5. Varun Dhawan
Young heartthrob Varun Dhawan, whose film ‘Dishoom’ is currently running in theatres, too raised the patriotic fervour by performing the national anthem. Overwhelmed by the experience, the 29-year-old tweeted that ‘it is the best feeling ever’. With him was his Dishoom co-star Jacqueline Fernandez, both of whom interacted with the U Mumba captain Anup Kumar before participating in some fun challenges set by him.
6. Sonakshi Sinha
Who better to grace a kabaddi match than the self-admitted ‘tough girl’ Sonakshi Sinha of the upcoming action flick ‘Akira’? The ‘Dabangg’ girl belted out the national anthem following which she motivated the women players to be ‘strong in mind and spirit’ to pursue the game. Having trained in mixed martial arts, she enthusiastically talked about the ‘dubki’ and the ‘scorpion kick’ moves in kabaddi which she could find a similarity with.
7. Irrfan Khan
The Jaipur leg witnessed one of the city’s most famous faces lending his voice for the national anthem. Actor Irrfan Khan, who is a global superstar now, also faced a rapid-fire question-answer session and regaled the audience with his cheeky answers.
8. Mithali Raj
The celebrities were not limited to the film world only. With women playing at the PKL for the very first time, captain of Indian women’s cricket team Mithali Raj was an apt choice to kick start the PKL Season 4 by singing the national anthem. Mithali believes that if she ever switches sports and plays kabaddi, she would be a good defender.
9. PV Sindhu
India’s Rio Olympic-bound badminton star PV Sindhu was also present during the Hyderabad leg of the PKL to root for her favourite kabaddi heroes. Being an athlete herself, she perfectly understands what an important role a fan plays during a match. She talked at length about how she has found an extra spurt of energy and motivation from fan chants during her matches and she also appreciated the large outpouring of kabaddi lovers during PKL.
10. Vijender Singh
‘Knockout ka king’ Vijender Singh took part in the fun ‘Dizzy Kabaddi’ challenge when he attended the Bengaluru leg before winning the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title. Vijender, later on, reminisced about actively playing kabaddi during his school days. When asked whether he used to play as a raider or a defender, he smartly replied that he is a fighter.
