Now, Mir Ranjan Negi on a new stage

By Taus Rizvi & Baljeet Parmar | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

His real life story was made into a blockbuster Bollywood film, he danced with elan in a reality dance show and even made his mark on the marquee with a special appearance in the Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu starrer Lamha.

Former India goal keeper and coach Mir Ranjan Negi is now ready to enter the world of theatre, where he plans to showcase his acting skills in front of a live audience.

Negi has been exploring various fields of glamour after retiring from hockey and the
beginning was, of course, the trendsetter Chak De India, a Shah Rukh Khan starrer, based on the life of the former India player.

He believes in making some fascinating moves that will keep his life interesting. “I was a part of Chak De India, did a dance show and recently did a small role in Lamha. I am doing a movie called Mumbai Chakachak but this time the role will be longer. So, you see I have done different things every time. Now, I am getting into theatre, which is really fascinating and I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

“Theatre is something which helps in building confidence. You open up and it helps you in talking well,” he added.

What motivates Negi in doing different things every now and then? “Basically I believe in experimenting which makes life interesting and fascinating. If you stick to one track then life is boring,” he said.

Getting into theatres was an easy decision for Negi though.

“The idea struck when I was giving interview to the television channels and it was difficult. Hockey players are not great in speaking if you compare them to the cricketers. So, I thought that why not learn something that will help me in building confidence and I can be my own on television. I saw Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar who are amazing commentators. So, I thought why not do something similar in hockey?” he said.

Does he find theatre difficult? “It is not an easy job. You have to shed all your inhibitions. But it is interesting.”

However, Negi chose not to tell the story line of his play. “It is something different. Watch it!”

It has been difficult to get the dates to book the theatre for Negi and his group. However, he is optimistic that it will come out by New Year.