After the stupendous success of our review on Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives which was merely just an experiment into reviewing the documentary series, we at popcorn reviewss have decided to have another go at this genre. So for the last release of the weekend, I have just finished watching Sons of The Soil on Amazon Prime which is a docuseries on the Kabaddi Team Jaipur Pink Panthers owned by Abhishek Bachchan. Is it worth your time, lets find out.

Sons of the soil follows the Jaipur Pink Panthers team as they try to reclaim the title of the Pro Kabaddi League in 2018-19 following a disastrous season. Now, I have always had a fascination for docuseries based on sports particularly cricket. So I had watched the docuseries on Mumbai Indians titled Cricket Fever on Netflix and Roar of The Lion, the docuseries on the return of the Chennai Super Kings on Hotstar. Even lately, amazon had come up with an inspirational series titled The Test – a story of an Australian Team who fought their way up the ladder after almost being down in the dumps. The thing with such series is that the drama that unfolds is real. There may not be a happy ending as unlike films ofcourse things in reality may not go according to script. While the cricket documentaries were amazing, this series based on Kabaddi who recently has regained some lost ground and found some fan following again, is a refreshing change. I have been following the Pro Kabaddi leagues and the excitement and energy among all teams are usually on full display. This series gives a glimpse on the situation behind the scenes that involves the role of the captain, the coach and the owners.

Sons of a soil can also be used as a case study on how to run and manage a team. We all know that a team that is winning will paint a rosy picture and would often hide its flaws. But I am a true believer that a loss is the greatest teacher of all – sometimes it teaches you things which otherwise you would not have known had you been winning. This series is exactly that. After a rollicking start to the campaign, the team loses its way and how! So if you are aware of the team campaign then you would know exactly where this series is headed. But having said that, it is the role of the coach and captain to keep the individuals motivated. Here the coach is shown as a hot headed chap that really pushes its players – but does it work all the time. One thing that I have learnt about leadership is that its nothing but man management. The team knows its job, if needed you can point out the flaws individually and not in a team huddle. It is about giving players the confidence to express themselves(in any field for that matter). And the role of the owners is crucial too. To take an example of Mumbai Indians – why is it such a successful franchise. It is because the owners do not micromanage, something opposite of what we see in the series. Also an unsaid rule about a senior player sitting out – either he should never be in the squad or you play him. No point dropping him and making him sulk. Not a healthy team environment! But you have to give it to the makers for keeping things real instead of leaving out bits on the edit. You do see the vulnerable side but it teaches you a lesson or two in managing a team. The Kabaddi portions definitely set your pulse racing and the tight edit really enhances that effect.

Standing at 5 episodes of 30 minutes each, Sons of the Soil is a welcome change from cricket and a series that is a case study on managing a team and putting up a show! Highly Recommended for Corporates, basically everyone else too. Available on Amazon Prime.