The Birmingham brothers who brought Kabaddi to the United Kingdom “when no one took it seriously”

Kabaddi is a 5,000 -year -old Indian sport and is considered one of the former struggle sports

He Kabaddi World Cup 2025 He roared West Midlands this week while visitors rushed to see the most intense ‘label’ game.

In fact, this is what people imagine when you pronounce ‘Kabaddi’, the old sport of the Indian village, where a player must play so many opponents on the opposite side of the court, and run back in a single breath shouting ‘Kabaddi Kabaddi Kabaddi’ repeatedly.

Still baffles the international public, but did you know a couple of Birmingham Were the brothers responsible for presenting the quick sport to the United Kingdom?

Read more: Kabaddi World Cup just a few days away and will be a ‘great moment’ for West Midlands

The Yugesh and Sunandan Walia brothers were making a name in the world of cinema, even Channel 4 They were searching for a foreign sport to fill their schedule.

After flying to India and building a Kabaddi tournament from scratch, the Bears wood The brothers brought their new Kabaddi program to the waves in 1991.

To his surprise, the cult of worship brought 1.1 million viewers and began a madness of Kabaddi in the United Kingdom, now brought us a complete circle with the World Cup back to the floor of West Midlands.

Yugesh, trained in the cinema, said: “You are a Asian Trying to enter an industry dominated by Anglo -Saxons, there were small crumbs of money that could be given by funds.

“To make a living was a long decision. There were barely black and Asian people in the industry, it was difficult.

“Everyone asked ‘who will do these ethnic shows’ and suddenly they contacted us to make short films and documentaries, then we were commissioned by channel 4.

“Channel 4 changed everything because they were committed to doing programs for ethnic minorities.”

The brothers founded their own company in Birmingham called Endboard and Sunandan initially launched hockey to the Channel 4 Commissioning editor, but they wanted a foreign sport to replace Sumo.

The brothers suggested that Kabaddi and the editor discarded it immediately. Sunandan said: “In this country when we mention that the people of Kabaddi laughed saying” it is not football or cryket, “they did not take it seriously.”

Then, the brothers filmed some test images in India and once the editor took a look, he licked it and a series of nine parts called Kabaddi was born.

Like the players who approach and go down a launch, the brothers would be in equally chaotic conditions shooting the show.

As humble documentary filmmakers, filming a sports show was foreign to them and found eight teams of women and eight men to compete.

Yugesh said: “We build a control room with bricks and mortar, we also build the field from scratch.

“Many teams came from the United Kingdom, Chennai, Delhi, and we needed tables to put the team.

“The tables were ordered from Old Delhi, ten miles away and we ask that the day before.

“They did not appear and made so many calls, then they appeared at night since a poor guy had taken them out in a cart of Old Delhi all day. We would have sent a truck!”

Once the games began, they were the city’s conversation, the locals even wondered why someone would be interested in a town sport.

Then the brothers’ narration chops came into play while capturing some dramatic moments, Yugesh continued: “West Bengal was the local team and the helpless, they played against the Armed Forces.

“They hit the armed forces and the audience jumped up and down in the seats we built that they were not strong. However, we are going to break!”

“I also liked the fact that we were showing Asian women for the first time in a contact sport. It was good to expose this to the United Kingdom.

“Punjab had a famous player named Balwinder Singh and the audience went crazy.”

Yugesh directed the bustling games while Sunandan provided humming comments, focused on players’ minds.

What would be your strategy? What tactics were at stake? What is the other team thinking?

Kabaddi made his debut in the United Kingdom in May 1991, just before the wonder years one Sunday night, since the public tuned to see the players running, turn and fight on the earth baked by the sun.

Kabaddi was a surprise success with the young and middle -aged public obtaining 1.1 million viewers.

Yugesh said: “This is long before social networks, any comments that someone had to publish us.

“We received cards from schools when young people took it, forming Kabaddi clubs throughout the country.

“We received letters asking about the rules and tactics, we asked ourselves this impulse.

“He moved to India where they saw the series and asked ‘why don’t we take more seriously when our sport is?’

“Now it is huge in India, these clubs are owned by celebrities and film stars.”

Yugesh is not exaggerating, since Kabaddi sprouted worldwide with India taking charge of the training of the Pro Kabaddi League, the Kabaddi 2025 World Cup, meanwhile, is welcoming the best male and feminine players in Africa, Asia, Oceania, Pan America and Europe.

Sunandan said: “Once we film the sport, we let it go, if it has legs, it will have its own impulse.

“He has taken a long time and we are proud to be in Midlands, we will go to a couple of matches.”

The Kabaddi World Cup extends from March 17 to 23 of 2025 in West Midlands.