The Indian football's new avatar - Indian Super League - announced its arrival with a bang on Sunday! With its exciting freshness and a never-seen-before razzmatazz, the mass entertainment of Bollywood and football descended on the illuminated Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
A restive crowd of 70,000 swayed to Bollywood beats in presence of top football stars from across the globe, corporate czars, politicians, filmstars and a host of other luminaries from different walks of life. And if the opening ceremony was anything to go by, the new league and perhaps through it Indian football, scaled new, noisy and never-before heights.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee started the proceedings. And it was left for Nita Ambani, chairperson of the ISL, to strike the right chord when she officially opened it before the world. Speaking in Bengali, she said: “Ami Indian Super League-er shubho suchona korchi... Let the ISL be opened.“ The stadium, filled to capacity, accepted it with a thunderous roar.
Throughout the 40-minute programme, it was show-stopping and show-starter in equal measure. The 500 odd well-choreographed troops danced to the tune of percussionist Sivamani and Bikram Ghosh, changing their colour and character, from bihu to kathakali -the local dance forms where the eight franchisees are based.
With Bollywood diva Priyanka Chopra leading the way, the 45-minute show that preceded the opening match between hosts Atletico de Kolkata and Mumbai City FC left spectators craving for more.