Times of India: Indian women’s hockey team: Time to make a ‘Chak De! India’ sequel now

By Pratyush Patra

On Sunday night, amid beats of dhol, sports lovers gathered to welcome the Indian Women’s Hockey Team at the IGI Airport. When curious onlookers realized that the reason behind the celebrations was that the team had won its maiden Asian Champions Trophy, they rushed to take selfies with the players. DT too caught up with the ‘Chak De! India’ girls – the real ones, who told us that it’s time a sequel to the film was made, with an updated status of the Indian women’s hockey scene.

It was Deepika’s goal in the dying minutes that secured the gold for India. She told us, “We didn’t wish to lose this game. The loss against Japan (in 2013) still haunts us. So, I can’t tell you woh last goal maar ke jo khushi mujhe hui thi, aur India mein aisa reception dekh kar woh khushi double ho gayi hai.”

Like Sardar Singh, Deepika said this trophy was the team’s Diwali gift to the nation even though the team couldn’t celebrate the festival. “That was a small sacrifice, but see, we got such a good result,” she said. When we informed her about the whole ‘ban Chinese products’ clamour during Diwali, she said, “This was one more reason humein China ko harana tha and probably that’s why we pushed harder. It wasn’t easy defeating them. We had lost our game against them in the group stages, toh woh khundak bhi baki thi.” Rajani Etimarpu, the goalkeeper, had mentally prepared for a penalty shoot-out when China scored the equalizer. “I am glad that moment never came. Agar aata toh main apna 100% deti. Chalo, the dry spell of medals finally ended,” she said. Talking about the family support, she said, “All the girls have full support from their families. I have never seen the girls fretting over pressure from family to settle down.”

When Deepika was asked about any similarity between the 2007 film and their tournament, she said, “Baki ka pata nahi, hamare coach bilkul hamare Shah Rukh Khan hain. He fills us with so much self-belief that we go on the field believing that we are the best.” The ‘SRK of the team’, Neil Hawgood, sounded pretty content with the way Indian women’s hockey has shaped up in the last four years. “We have won the bronze medal at the junior world cup, a silver medal at Asian Champions Trophy, bronze at Asian Games and Asia Cup and now this trophy. When I got here in 2012, one of the goals was to become the best team in Asia, and in this tourney we had the chance to do that. We came out on top and it shows the improvement. Now, we need a bigger aim, but being consistent with their performances would be a major goal for the girls. They’re constantly evolving as players,” the Australian said. Though he hasn’t seen any other Shah Rukh Khan movie, the coach admitted to having watched ‘Chak De!’ with the girls. So, does he have his own version of the ‘sattar minute’ speech? He said, “I keep it simple, but I keep telling them to be honest as individual players and as team members and be consistent.”

The victory of the men’s team and boy’s team not only boosted the morale of the Indian eves, it also made it a must-win game for them, not just to win the trophy but also because ‘ab sawaal ladkiyon ki performance ka tha’ – as the players put it. “If the boys can win, so can we,” said Deepika describing the feeling before the finals. Rani Rampal, another experienced player, said, “Though we all (men, women and boys) put same amount of hard work, it all boils down who produces the results. Kal ko koi yeh na bole, men’s team did it and women’s didn’t.” On the reference of ‘Chakla belen chalane wali kya khelengi’, Rani added, “People keep making these casual remarks about how women can’t do something, but going out in the field and winning is the harder part. Many new players have been included in the team. We need to develop good coordination and communication among ourselves. Nonetheless, we knew after the guys had won, we too had to win. The men’s team had been performing well, but this victory is special for us because after a long time we have won a major tournament. All the girls danced a lot that night.”

Rani also said, “It’s time to make a sequel of ‘Chak De! India’. The team has won a lot more medals and trophies since 2002, when Indian eves won the Commonwealth Games. Tab kahan itni popularity thi. Today, everyone’s tweeting their best wishes. And just not hockey, every achievement in any sport is lauded greatly today. To receive such love always feels great as a player. This time, however, the movie should be slightly more realistic,” and added, “The infrastructure, facility and support from the administration have been incredible. This victory is part of a long process. Ek hafte mein mehnat karke nahi jeeta yeh. Saalon ki mehnat ka nateeja hai.”

Indian eves made it to the Olympics after 36 years, but couldn’t do much at the biggest sporting event. When asked if this victory will reduce the disappointment of the Olympics, Vandana Katariya, the skipper, said, “On the contrary, participating in the Olympics boosted our confidence and turned out to be a great learning experience, which helped us in this tourney. Similarly, this series also taught us where all we need to improve.”

As the celebrations at the airport got over and team headed towards the bus, they were alarmed by the thick fog. When told that it is mostly smoke, Deepika said, “Wohi mujhe lag raha tha. Yeh din mein bhi rehta hai?” When we nodded, she said, “Phir toh pakka do-teen players bimaar padenge,” she said.