Big B surprise for defending champions: Amitabh wishes best of luck to Mohun Bagan

LESS THAN 48 hours before the I-League season kicks off, Mohun Bagan fans got a pleasant surprise when none other than Amitabh Bachchan wished their club for the campaign ahead.

The legendary Bollywood actor addressed all Mohun Bagan fans good luck ahead of their title defence during an interview when Mr Suraj Pandey, an avid Mariner, brought up the topic.

It is widely known that Mr Bachchan, during his youth years spent in Kolkata, was a regular match-going supporter of Mohun Bagan. Many claim that even in latter years he maintained a keen interest in Indian football and his old favourite club. 

Bachchan is one of a generation of celebrated artists who have been Mohun Bagan fans. This prestigious list includes Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Uttam Kumar and many other prominent celluloid and musical stars of that time.

While the ISL has received the endorsement of several movie stars (including Big B whose son Abhishek Bachchan owns the Chennai franchise), it's good to see some of them taking interest in I-League clubs as well. 

Only weeks earlier, Shah Rukh Khan held an event at the East Bengal Ground during which he was presented a lifetime membership of the club. Later, Bengaluru FC unveiled their new kit with a star-studded video where many celebrities of the sporting and entertainment world expressed their support for the current holders of the Federation Cup.