Celebrity Clasico Makes a Thundering Comeback; Supports Women’s Self Defence Initiative

by  Shantanu Jain Entertainment | October 23, 2017 | News

GS Worldwide Entertainment Virat Kohli Abhishek Bachchan

It seemed like the stars had descended at the Mumbai Football Arena in Andheri Sports Complex on October 15th, 2017 as the much awaited 3rd edition of Celebrity Clasico swooned the city football fanatics. This unique charity football initiative pitted the stars of the entertainment world lead by Abhishek Bachchan against the Mavericks of international cricket lead by Virat Kohli.

There was an array of charities that were part of this grand event, but the Women’s Self Defense Initiative by Aditya Thackeray and Akshay Kumar stood out above all others. The Women’s Self Defence Initiative is reaching out to girls and women from across the country and working towards making them feel safe once again in their very own country. Both Aditya and Akshay graced the event with their presence and met with both the teams.

Some of the prominent names that were representing All Stars Football Club were Abhishek Bachchan (C), Ranbir Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Arjun Kapoor, Shoojit Sircar, Shabir Ahluwalia, Kartik Aaryan, Vivian Dsena, Marc Robinson and Sachiin Joshi. On the other end, Virat’s All Hearts boasted of names such as Virat Kohli (C), MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, PR Sreejesh, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rohan Bopanna, Jonty Rhodes and Umesh Yadav.

Bunty Walia, Director, GS Worldwide Entertainment, and owner of ASFC said, “There are many people who want to donate a good cause, but it is often difficult to reach out to them. This is why we started Celebrity Clasico. There is no better way to reach out to millions of Indians across the country than cricket and Bollywood coming together. We were glad to have Aditya Thackeray and Akshay Kumar’s charity, Women’s Self Defense Initiative was the primary beneficiary this year.”  

Even though it was an exhibition match, but both the teams came in well-practiced and with their eyes set on the trophy. All hearts soared as MS Dhoni scored a long-range goal in the 7th minute and then another one with a Beckham styled free kick. Shabir Ahluwalia scored the first goal for All-Stars and the game was at 3-1 at halftime. The All Stars made a good comeback in the second half, but All Hearts were in no mood to let go of the lead. In the end, Virat’s All Hearts beat the All-stars with the final tally standing at 7 – 3.  

The first edition of Celebrity Clasico took place in 2013 and the second one was organized in 2016. Given the phenomenal response and success of this year’s edition, it is believed that Celebrity Clasico might soon become an annual event, who knows even a league in its self.