The journey of The Great Khali, India’s first WWE wrestler, is an astonishing one. In Tehelka, Shantanu Guha Ray susses out the man behind the spectacle:
Steve Carell, lead actor of Get Smart, once told an mtv.com reporter about a hulk on the sets who impressed everyone though he had a small role. “He could put his hand over your entire head and crush you. He’s a very sweet guy, but he did not speak English really well. I don’t even know if he was completely aware that he was doing a movie.” Carell was talking about The Great Khali, a former Mr India who briefly held, in 2007, the world champion’s title at the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, formerly, the WWF).
Now an icon across the United States, he was India’s “champion bodybuilder” in 1997 and 1998. At seven feet, three inches, and weighing 190 kilos, he is the only Indian on the WWE bandwagon (there was Tiger Ali Singh signed up before him but Singh was from Canada). Now based in Atlanta, The Great Khali comes from Dhirana in Himachal Pradesh and old-timers in Shimla recall how one Dalip Singh Rana would toss luggage onto the carriers of buses with consummate ease. That was part-time work; his full-time job was crushing stone for local contractors.
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Previously on AW:
Great Khali gears up
Dilip Singh Rana, better known by his ring name, The Great Khali, gears up on Sunday night for his WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) showdown with such big daddies of international wrestling as the Undertaker and Batista. Billed at 7 ft, 3 inches and 420 lb, The Great Khali won the Mr India title in 1995 and 1996 and has appeared in the movie, The Longest Yard. Wikipedia has a profile here.
News of Sunday’s No Way Out match follows:
No Way Out: M.V.P. vs. Undertaker vs. Big Daddy V vs. Great Khali vs. Finlay vs. Batista [Elimination Chamber Match]
MVP introduced first and goes into a pod, followed by Vis who also pods up. Great Khali will start in a pod as well.
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And on how fans in Punjab are rooting for this one-time cop, Sify has a report:
His sport may not be played commonly in India but that has not dented the popularity of wrestler Dalip Singh, better known as ‘The Great Khali’ in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) international circuit.
He is officially part of the Punjab Police, but lives mostly in the US.
With Khali all set for his big fight on February 17 – with five opponents ready to pin him down in the ‘No way out’ ring of death in a WWE match in the US – his fans in this Punjab city are backing up their hero. T-shirts and other accessories carrying the picture of Khali have appeared in markets and shops here and are selling.
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