When 25-year-old Archis Patil began his career as a freestyle footballer in 2010, things weren't easy. The Mumbai-based performer played professional football for Mumbai FC and Air India in the under-19 category. Due to injuries, Patil had to give up professional football. "India is a cricket-oriented country. It has not been easy. Initially, people would say, 'circus kar raha hai'. People are not used to accepting things that are different, easily. That made me stronger. I used to train for six to seven hours a day," says Patil. "I loved football and wanted to continue being associated with the sport. Freestyle football doesn't have any rules; you don't need background. It doesn't matter where you are from or what training you had but just how much skill you are able to develop. Anybody from 10 to 50 years can try it. You don't need to even know football!" suggests Patil, adding that he learnt the art from watching videos and tutorials of international players online. He was also deeply inspired by the film, Shaolin Soccer.

Archis Patil shows off his football freestyling skills in front of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur