Take a bow to ‘The Great Khali’

Vaibhav Arora

Hailing from India, The Great Khali stands at an impressive 7 foot 3 inches and weighs 420 pounds (190 Kgs). This enormous monster has walked the jungles of India unafraid of pythons and wrestled White Bengal tigers. Legend states that the Punjabi Warrior has "stared into the abyss and the earth trembled at his gaze."That is how World Wrestling Federation’s official website portrays this giant wrestler from Himachal Pradesh, who is now based in Atlanta, Georgia. Dalip Singh Rana a.k.a The Great Khali has just come back to India after a stint in America and Japan where he made some of the mightiest wrestlers in the world surrender to his power packed moves. Becoming a WWE superstar, where only American and European country athletes were accepted and appreciated until now has brought a lot of name and fame to this giant. He has come a long way since being employed as a roadside worker, breaking stones used for construction work in his hometown. “God has been very kind to him,” says Khali’s spokesman and a bodybuilder from Haryana, Amit Swami. With fan following that ranges from a 5 year to a 50 year old, Khali has also been receiving a lot of offers to work in Bollywood films. He of course is no stranger to acting, having performed in a number of Hollywood films including the 2005 hit The Longest Yard, which featured stars like Adam Sandler and Chris Rock besides him. Hollywood actor Steve Carell, who met Khali on the sets of a film called Get Smart was amazed to see a man of his size. “Literally, you shake his hand and you are shaking the inner part of his palm. 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 told reporters after the shoot.The road to WWE Having tried his luck and gathered a lot of fame in the Japanese professional wrestling circuit, where he fought under the stage name Giant Singh, Rana finally had a chance to travel to the United States in 2000. It was love at first sight for the WWE officials who came to meet this gentle giant and decided to sign him up immediately for their show. The next big challenge was to select a name for him that would ideally represent his Indian origin as well as create a lasting impression on the audience’s mind. It was Rana who proposed names like Big Bhima and Giant Singh, but was not able to strike the fancy of the organizers. The name Lord Shiva was proposed but rejected instantly owing to fear that it may invoke protests from Hindu activists. Rana then came up with Khali, inspired from the name of Indian goddess of death and destruction Kali, which seemed to go well with his Indian look and subsequently became an instant hit with the audience.Personal Life Dalip Singh Rana was born on August 27, 1972 in Dhirana village of Himachal Pradesh. The third oldest among his siblings, neither of Dalip’s parents were as tall as he has grown to be. Owing to the family’s poor financial condition, Dalip could not attend much school but his exceptional built and height helped him work as a roadside stone breaker and thus earn his livelihood. The turning point in the big man’s life came in 1993 when the then Director General of Punjab Police MS Bhullar recongnised his talent and decided to give him a job as a constable in the Punjab Police. Dalip thus got a chance to join various gyms in Jalandhar, which in future would prove to be a decision that would turn his fortunes around. After years of hard work and training under specialist coaches, Dalip won the coveted Mr. India title in 1997 and again in 1998, defeating hundreds of other participants and thus attained an iconic status among the youth. Rana’s professional wrestling career began to take shape when he along with a few friends went to receive one of the top British bodybuilders Dorian Yates at Delhi’s International airport. Yates was instantly impressed on seeing Rana’s physique and suggested he try his luck in professional wrestling. With support from his family and friends a few days later, Rana was off to Japan and rest as they say is history. Little known facts

The Great Khali’s real name is Dalip Singh Rana.

Dalip Singh Rana married Harminder Kaur on February 27, 2002.

Khali’s chest measures a staggering 63 inches.

In 2001, Brian Ong, a wrestler at the Japanese Professional Wrestling died after receiving a flapjack from Rana. All Pro Wrestling, the organizers of the event had to pay damages worth USD 1.3 mn to settle a lawsuit brought against them.

Khali has starred in a 2005 Hollywood film The Longest Yard alongside Adam Sandler and will be seen in another flick called Get Smart which is scheduled to hit theatres later this year.

The Great Khali won the coveted World Heavyweight Championship on July 17, 2007, defeating a number of top wrestlers in a 20 man battle royal.

When Dalip Singh returns to Punjab and resumes his duty in the police department, the officials plan to facilitate him by promoting him to the rank of sub-inspector.

While in India, Rana will also be featuring in a documentary film shot on his life.

Khali is a pure vegetarian and abstains from smoking or alcohol.

Khali’s first bodybuilding coach was Dr. Randhir Kumar Hastir