Earlier this month, I attended the 2013 UMass Boston Film Series to watch the movie China Heavyweight and listen to a question and answer session with the Director of the movie. Without giving away too much, for friends and colleagues in the sport and development field I recommend watching the movie. Below is the trailer.
The movie resonated with me since the master coach’s triumphs and tribulations were parallel to my observations of Coach Bajwa’s vision for Khelshala. While Khelshala graduates will be making their career decisions in the coming years, the young boxers in China Heavyweight illustrate the challenges of collective action versus individual pursuits in a resource-constrained environment.
In listening to the Director Yung Chang speak about the production process behind the film, I could not help but think that a Bollywood Director or documentary filmmaker would find an equally enriching storyline behind the children of Khelshala. A “Champion from Chandigarh” would be a fun movie to make.
Explorations in Sport for Development and Peace 