He says he is a “better, richer person” because of rugby. Rahul Bose in a chat with t2 on the sidelines of a rugby meet at CC&FC.
Did you watch the Olympics?
There was a lot of attention on our participants at Rio, because we live in a time where we are all obsessed with medals, although I don’t believe in that. So, with the men failing, Sakshi (Malik), Dipa (Karmakar) and (PV) Sindhu deservedly got the attention. That has spun off into a tale of women empowerment and challenging patriarchy... which was the larger story to have come out of the Olympics.
Why rugby, since it’s not a very common choice in India?
My school made it compulsory for everyone to try playing different sports and if you didn’t make the team, you didn’t make the team. I realised that for a 14-year-old, rugby was a great opportunity to vent your frustration, to be unnecessarily aggressive on the field and I loved it. You couldn’t do that in cricket. It was also a great opportunity to make girls think you’re hot, because they seem to love physical sports. It was a great way to get dirty, muddy and wet — so basically I chose to play the sport for all the wrong reasons (smiles).
So you chose rugby or did rugby choose you?
I liked many other sports, but I think there was this cosmic connection with rugby. The first time I played I didn’t know what the hell was going on. By the second time, I got a little better, the third time I scored… and that’s when I realised I really liked this sport. And then, in my first tournament for the Bombay Gymkhana in 1985, when I was 18, I was declared the Player of the Tournament. That was the moment I said to myself, ‘Yeah, I think this is something I can do for many years’.
What impact did rugby have in your life?
I think rugby has taught me more than my parents have! The first lesson was that you can’t do anything alone. If you try playing rugby alone, you will die. So, likewise in life, you should know that every success is held and supported by a whole group of people. Some you know exist, some you don’t. Never forget that.
Also, our coach used to tell us to leave our body on the field. If you take that in life, it means that if you give your best, whether you win or lose doesn’t matter, because you gave your all, you couldn’t have done any better.
The third thing is that in every team someone is strong, someone is weak, but everyone has to contribute to win. Same way, in life, whether you are a safai karmachari or a NASA scientist, I look at both people the same way. So I’m a better, deeper and richer person for rugby.
What matters most in rugby — speed, stamina or strength, or a combination of all three?
I think you need a bit of everything, that makes the sport so difficult. The fourth ‘S’ is skill. But the most important thing you need is fearlessness. If you aren’t fearless, you’ll leave the sport in one week. You need to be fearless to get back on your feet in two minutes after getting smashed.
What’s your fitness mantra at 49?
I love to play. I play everything. One day I play rugby with boys whose fathers are younger than me! I play squash or badminton or tennis the next day. Then I’ll go for a run one day... will go to the gym one day. I’ll do cardio leaps, jumps and plyometrics one day and then one day I’ll go for a swim. So I just love to play every day of my life. It’s not like I am fit because I have to show six packs for a movie or that people won’t find me sexy. It’s just the human being I am.
Your fitness tip for those on the wrong side of 40?
If there’s nothing else, you can walk for two hours a day and eat half of what you eat and that’ll be enough. Eating is 80 per cent. I avoid carbohydrates, sweets and a lot of other stuff all week. So maybe on a Sunday I have a mutton biryani.
How is Poorna (Rahul’s second directorial venture) coming along?
Poorna is ready. We already have an offer from a studio. We are looking at four other studios. It’s going to be a big release, in the next two-three months. I can’t think of a single story that’s been made in India that starts in the tribal hut of this girl and goes to the top of Mount Everest. The footage we have from the last 20 minutes is the latest and greatest unreleased footage from the summit of Mount Everest. The different focus groups — girls, guys, kids, rich, poor, adventure enthusiasts — are all rating the film very highly. I am feeling really good about it.
You’ve worked with Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and his Pink has created quite a stir. What’s your message for him?
One of the most important films in recent years. It’s extraordinary for the main message of a film to be ‘no means no’ and yet the movie will make Rs 55-65 crore. I mean I am overwhelmed but not surprised by his success. He’s always been very sensitive, a very astute director and I think he deserves every bit of it. Success couldn’t have come to a nicer, more grounded, more sensitive and more ethical person. He’s a very dear friend of mine and I wish him all the best.
