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Earlier this year, I travelled to India searching for answers and fulfillment in my own life. In return, I ended up shooting a football documentary feature on Tolgay Ozbey, an Australian footballer plying his trade for India’s biggest club, East Bengal FC.
I have produced for your pleasure a 4min and 40sec trailer into the life of East Indian Football and an interview with Tolgay Ozbey.
The short doco was filmed in Kolkata, India on April 2011 – but more on that later.
The one thing I find fascinating on our forums is how quick we are all to judge Australian Footballers who choose to ply their trade in leagues across the world that are perceived to be minor football leagues or simply poor career choices.
One could not be more surprised than former Robbie Slater medallist Tolgay Ozbey’s move to the Indian I-League to Kingfisher East Bengal FC.
But what do we know about Indian football, its players, the clubs and its national curriculum?
I must admit I knew very little except for the fact that they once qualified for the World Cup, only to be banned for their refusal to wear football boots, wanting to play barefoot instead.
India is a nation of 1 billion people and a former British Colony that has failed to produce a World Cup winning squad.
In Mumbai, west India, I would count at least 10 games of cricket before I would see a park game of football, whereas in Kolkata, East India, it would seem to be the opposite.
I would spend most of my days in Bombay – or Mumbai, as it is politically known – reading the paper in the cafes, scrolling through the tiresome pages of cricket news before the football section. Then one article changed it all.
The article was written by a football fan, asking “Is India Cricket’s true home?” The author suggested that most Indians would rather watch a non-Indian football match lasting 90 mins over a non-Indian cricket match lasting a whole day and that the Kolkata derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan on the East of India can attract more than 120,000 fans.
When I read this article, my bags were half packed.
After discovering that an Australian plays football for one of the clubs, I couldn’t just go as a spectator.
Somehow I had to document the experience to share with others and, most importantly, try to understand as to why a talented footballer and with an A-League contract in hand (with the Central Coast Mariners), would want to come to a league where its national team is sitting at the wrong end of FIFA World rankings.
Which brings me to Tolgay Ozbey.
I thought about just doing an interview with pen and paper with the 25-year old, but then realized, how is anybody supposed to absorb the emotions of India, its people, fans, culture and football through 1000 words? You simply can’t. How are you supposed to feel a connection with Australia’s Ozbey if you have never met him?
You may have heard of Tolgay Ozbey as the guy who had a brief stint in the A-League. Or you may have heard of him as the leading goal scorer in the NSW Premier League.
But currently, Ozbey is our Australian representative amongst Indian football circles and I can assure you, he is doing us proud. He is a crowd favourite at East Bengal FC and that should be clear by the footage of the video production.
I see Ozbey as the inspiration to the thousands of kids wanting to play football professionally, whose names are not Harry Kewell or Tim Cahill.
These names represent the pinnacle of football excellence, but they are also reserved to a special and talented 11. Tolgay Ozbey means living your childhood dream as a footballer without borders.
He represents the path for every aspiring footballer that has ever dreamed to wake up each morning and go to work by means of lacing up a pair of football boots.
The decision to make a life in India or abroad is not an easy one. There are sacrifices along the way and all the comforts and safety nets of the previous life are removed.
The unexplained universe opens and forces one to take control of his own destiny faster than any self-book could possibly explain.
To visit India is a life changing experience, but to build a life there is a credit to one’s life portfolio that many of us will never have an opportunity to experience or are simply just too afraid to try.
All in all, Tolgay’s story is about “the road less travelled”, and in his vey own words “there are no regrets”.
So, here it is lads. A sneak preview and interview with Tolgay Ozbey through the lens of an independent film maker… yours truly.
Tolgay Ozbey talks to us about life in India, provides some advice for young footballers, the A-League, AFC and more.
The trailer runs for 4:40s and is exclusive to The Roar, with the video posted on Youtube at the same time the article was submitted here
This Production was shot on HDV with a professional crew. Full interview and story hopefully coming soon. I hope you enjoy.
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