As the Indian women’s hockey team scripted history by booking their spot in the semi-finals of the Olympics by beating the Australian team 1-0 in the quarterfinals, Bollywood movie Chak de! India actor Chitrashi Rawat who played the role of Komal Chautala in the movie, called it a deja vu moment.
To celebrate the outstanding performance of the Indian women’s hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics, India Today invited the Chak De! India actress to their show. During the interaction, she told the channel that ever since the girl’s of the India hockey team have made it to the semi-finals, she has been receiving “so many calls”.
She said that it feels like the victory is ours, like what we felt when we were shooting for the movie.
“It’s actually a very deja vu moment…,” @Chitrashirawat ( the actor who played Komal Chautala in Chak De! India)#TokyoOlympics #Tokyo2020 #India #Australia #Hockey | @Chaiti pic.twitter.com/6M8ZEo2Adr
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) August 2, 2021
She said that she could relate to what the members of the Indian women hockey team must have felt after their victory as it is quite parallel to what the actors had experienced while enacting the win during the Chak De! India shoot.
“For all of us Chak De girls, it is a month of celebrations, yet again. Our movie Chak De! India released on August 10, 2007, and today (in August) we got the news that our Indian women’s hockey team has created history by entering the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics. For me, it is like reliving the excitement all over again. I can’t contain my happiness and excitement ever since I woke up and got the news,” Chitrashi Rawat was quoted by TOI as saying.
“This is so nostalgic. While I am extremely proud of what our girls have achieved today and very happy, I can’t help but recall the moments from the games, a practice that we went through when we were shooting the film. I have been seeing pictures, highlights from the recent match and stills from the movie are running as a flashback in my memory”, said the actor. She further added that not only she but everyone who watched Chak De would be drawing a parallel between the stills from the movie and the pictures from the real game in their mind.
Chitrashi Rawat’s remarks have left Netizens rolling their eyes.
One social media user wondered how the actor could draw comparisons between a rehearsed act pulled off in a movie and a real time game.
Kuch toh sharam karo be. It was rehearsed and this game was in real. Deja vu kaise hua.
— Tapas (@tapasgiri93) August 2, 2021
While some slammed the actor for snatching the credit from the players.
Hardworking sports star r making name in real world while 👆, fake #Bollywood’s r snatching their Credit doing nothing 🤮
— shruti (@shruti_Nanjangu) August 2, 2021
Many rebuked India Today for inviting an actress to talk about the game instead of a real hockey player.
Shameless, you could have atleast got a ex hockey player to talk about today’s match. Chitrashi did a good job in that role but at the end of the day it was a movie. Tomorrow you people will invite sunny deol to discuss India’s surgical strike against Pakistan.
— Abhishek Mishra (@abhimishraa83) August 2, 2021
Some slammed India Today for giving importance to ‘reel’ rather than the ‘real’.
Deja Vu when she ain’t even playing! I know Pidi media has a hard time not romanticising the sewer that’s Urduwood, but it’s absolutely disrespectful to be talking about reel when very real grit, hard work and sweat and toil of our #IndianHockey team should be the talking point.
— Saurabh Kishore😷🇮🇳 (@wdamidoinhere) August 2, 2021
A few, however, went with the classic way, sharing interesting memes, to mock the actor and India Today.
Deja.. Vu.. pic.twitter.com/Y74X53dsV4
— TheSignOfFive (@TheSignOfFive) August 2, 2021
— Farcafm🐼🖤 (@Farcafm) August 2, 2021
Journolism and Women Hockey team’s current feeling towards India Today Group 👇 pic.twitter.com/2shBgKO0ip
— The Libral Hunter (@Libral_Hunterr) August 2, 2021
Rawat, however, wasn’t the only one to make it about the film. Pro-AAP YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in a tweet said, “Our whole generation grew up watching #ChakDeIndia,” and proceeded to add, “That film probably deserves more credit than anything for motivating a generation of amazing Indian women hockey players. Most players would’ve been at a critical childhood age of 10-15 years of age when the film released.” However, after realising the absurdity of his statement, he quietly deleted his tweet.
