Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan owns Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)'s Rajasthan-based franchise, Jaipur Pink Panthers. The team's documentary titled, 'Sons of Soil' is available now on Amazon Prime Video.
In a recent interview with The Film Companion, Abhishek Bachchan revealed why he named his franchise Jaipur Pink Panthers. Abhishek's way of conversing with his father, Amitabh Bachchan during his childhood was the source of the name 'Panthers.'
"Oh god, this is very embarrassing. When I was small, my father used to call me Tiger. He'd say, 'How are you, Tiger?' After a few years, I thought even I should respond. So one day after he came back from shooting, and I was very small- maybe 4-5 years- he asked, 'How are you, Tiger?' So I said, 'I am fine, Panther. How are you?' So after that, it became an inside joke – he used to call me Tiger, and I used to call him Panther," Abhishek Bachchan explained.
How Aaradhya Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are connected to the name Jaipur Pink Panthers
Abhishek Bachchan added that his daughter Aaradhya's favorite color is pink. Also, his wife Aishwarya Rai worked in a movie titled, The Pink Panther 2. Speaking further about the personal connection with the name Jaipur Pink Panthers, Abhishek continued:
"Jaipur was the city that Aishwarya and I came together in, and so that's why Jaipur. If you see, our pink panther has blue-green eyes, which are the same as my wife's. So there's a personal connection to everything about Jaipur Pink Panthers."
The Jaipur Pink Panthers made history by winning the PKL title in the first season. They also made it to the fourth season's summit clash, where they lost to the Patna Pirates.
Many big names like Anup Kumar, Jasvir Singh, Rajesh Narwal, Navneet Gautam, Maninder Singh, Ran Singh, and Rohit Rana have played for this franchise. All-rounder Deepak Hooda is the captain of the Jaipur Pink Panthers at the moment.