Bend it like Baichung

India’s ace footballer Baichung Bhutia has grand plans for the budding soccer players in the country. He wants to open a football academy so that soccer enthusiastic kids can get the right training.

Baichung says, “I have always wanted to do something like this and this has been my long cherished dream. I want to start a top  football academy which will have all the modern facilities and the best of infrastructure. I have made plans but putting the idea into implementation will take time. But I am very positive about my dream.”

So is it going to be in his home state, Sikkim? “No. I am very particular that this academy should be in a major city of the country, be it Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai or Bangalore. Because kids will get a better exposure for sure,” he asserts.

For him, kicking the football is an easy game, but not shaking his legs to rhythm. So when the first episode of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa went on air, he was flooded with offers and suggestions from his fellow colleagues.

Baichung himself reveals, “The night the episode came on air, I was quite skeptical about how people will react. The next morning when I went for my practice, all my friends were very happy. At the same time, they all wanted to give me tips on dancing. Imagine!”

Unlike other sports stars, he doesn’t want to compromise on his soccer while giving importance to the show. “My choreographer is with us like family. I do rehearsals with her for a few hours when my football practice is over. And I come to Mumbai once in a week to shoot.”