12 boys from Kalinga Institute with no clue about rugby, trained hard to master this beautiful sport. Not only that, within just 4 months, they became the roaring The Jungle Cats of India and went on to win the 2007 Under-14 Rugby World Cup.
Acting
Abhay Deol's most slept-on performance
Direction
Ballary keeps the sap in check, barely
Practical Effects
Actual Kalinga students, not polished child actors
Director
Sagar Ballary
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The actual 2007 team came from Kalinga Institute's tribal outreach program, founded by Dr. Achyuta Samanta who educated 30,000+ underprivileged children.
Rugby's colonial roots in India make this victory deliciously ironic—British officers introduced it, yet these Odisha boys weaponized it on the global stage.
IN
GB
