The Real-Life Story Of Vijay Barse, Whose Journey Inspired Amitabh Bachchan's ‘Jhund’

Nagraj Manjule’s Jhund is garnering praise from the audiences as well as the critics. This biographical sports movie features Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role and Akash Thosar and Rinku Rajguru in supporting roles.

Based on the life of Vijay Barse, a retired sports professor who founded an NGO called Slum Soccer, the movie depicts how the professor instils enthusiasm in children living in the slums of Mumbai by turning them into soccer players.

Here’s everything to know about Vijay Barse. Read on.

In 2001, the social worker began his journey at Nagpur’s Hilsop College as a sport and physical education teacher. Reportedly, he saw some children kicking around a broken bucket as a temporary football in the rain. After the incident, he gave them an actual football in order to encourage them to continue playing.

The next year, in 2002, he founded a soccer academy, called Slum Soccer, that provided football training and rehabilitation to children living in slum areas.

Post-retirement, he spent ₹18 lakhs in order to establish the Krida Vikas Sanstha Nagpur (KSVN), which conducts several football tournaments and even offers different opportunities to these underprivileged children. He established this organisation, which works as Slum Soccer’s parent organisation along with his wife and son, Ranjana Barse and Abhijeet Barse.

In 2007, he even got a chance to meet Nelson Mandela during the Homeless World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa. While describing his meeting with the renowned philanthropist, he said:

I received the biggest recognition for my work that day when he put a hand on me and said, ‘My son, you’re doing a great job’.

In 2012, he was felicitated with the Real Hero Award by Sachin Tendulkar for his selfless work in nurturing new football talent coming from underprivileged families.