Gujarat Giant fazel wows fans with skills and looks

CHENNAI: Most of us have, at various stages of our lives, been intrigued by this vexatious question of whether Greek gods exist for real or are they some random, fictitious nonentities that we chance upon only in tacky novels and mawkish movies.

In our relentless quest for finding the answer, we are forced to contend with stuff that ends up being schmaltzy, dealing with every trivial issue under the sun at length while conveniently ignoring the one we’ve been seeking so desperately that would put our restless minds at ease once and for all.

In fact, reading or watching such cheesy content only deepens our anguish, piquing our curiosity to the detriment of our health, thereby prolonging the misery until some indefinite period of time.

Well, to provide a definitive answer to that centuries-old thorny poser, and bring closure to that suspense that had a pernicious effect on our well-being, there is one in India right now, Chennai to be precise, who plays kabaddi for a living and answers to the name Fazel Atrachali.

Raiders, beware! He is one cold, calculating and ruthlessly efficient defender who meticulously goes about plotting his opponent’s downfall and brooks no resistance to his brawn or intellect on the mat.

Seeing him in the flesh at close quarters in the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League, and in the seasons gone by, you tend to rack your brains, figuring out why he is expending so much energy, effort and time trying to best an opponent when he is blessed with looks that could ‘floor’ even the best in the business without him having to so much as lift his little finger.

It beats us why he strains those bulging biceps of his when they can very well be used for hoisting his teammates into the air or raising them aloft while holding the glittering trophy in his glorious hour of triumph.

Spare a thought or two for the raiders when they are confronted with the challenge of taking him on even sans that invisible adversary called “pressure” preying on their minds.

Perhaps the most accomplished of them would get cold feet at that terrifying prospect, turning into an inanimate object, frozen with a heady cocktail of awe and fear. For them, it is already a foregone conclusion as to how that raid would unfold.

The Iranian “Hulk” has the innate knack of fiercely defending his territory, all the while keeping his teammates safe from the harm lurking around, doing an apex predator in the wild immensely proud of his preternatural ability.

How fitting is it then that the defensive ‘giant’ of PKL has moved to a team that bears the name Gujarat Giants. Fazel has been something of a nomad in the PKL, invariably moving to a different franchise every year. That again is a testament to how his enviable skills and unimpeachable integrity are highly sought-after by his growing list of suitors.

With a glut of sporting biopics releasing at the drop of a hat in India, it should come as no surprise if we see one made on him soon. And who better than the man himself to enact that role making that ‘Giant’ leap from the mat to celluloid. Given his penchant for perfection and unquenchable thirst for success, it wouldn’t be wise to bet against him making it big in the world of films too. Now that would be quite something!

PS:To all the damsels, this knight, or should we say giant, is happily married!