Did you know that the movie Chak De was based on a true story. Shah Rukh played the
role of Mir Ranjan Negi. Negi was the Goal Keeper who let in nearly 7 goals against
Pakistan in the finals of the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi.
He was literally thrown into oblivion after that and was accused of being a traitor. He came back in style by helping the Women’s Indian Hockey Team win the Gold in 1998 Asian Games and Women’s team in 2002 at Manchester.
He works with the Customs and you can spot him usually at the International Lounge at Bangalore Airport.
Mir Ranjan Negi has lived his worst nightmare time and again. That Black Wednesday of 1982 was the darkest day of his life. The rest of India’s hockey team recovered from a humiliating 7-1 loss to Pakistan in the Asian Games final in Delhi. They continued with their careers and their lives; Negi, the goalie, was dubbed the villain, accused of treachery and dumped into oblivion, his life shattered.
Yashraj Films’ Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chak de India depicts the story of Negi, who was accused of taking money from the Pakistanis to concede goals. Although unsubstantiated, the allegations ensured he never played for India again. Chak de India is inspired by how Negi fought those allegations and redeemed his honour by helping India win the men’s Asian Games gold in 1998 at Bangkok and the women’s team to gold at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002.
So what actually went wrong on that fateful day? “Everything,” says Zafar Iqbal, captain of that squad. “The entire team was to blame; we forwards missed chances, the defence left huge gaps that the Pakistanis exploited. Despite making great efforts to cover the gaps, poor Negi became a sitting duck and the Pakistanis scored at will,” says Zafar. “He was blamed solely, but every player was to blame.”
Says ace forward Mohd Shahid: “The team succumbed to nerves… everyone from Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi and Giani Zail Singh was there.” Soon after the loss, the whispers began, that Negi had “fixed” the match. “It was ridiculous,” says Shahid. But the allegations continued. “The atmosphere was vicious. I remember someone claiming that he had seen Negi come out of the Pakistan High Commission on match eve,” says Zafar. “Some even enquired whether Negi, with his first name Mir, was Muslim.”
A devastated Negi got no support from the Indian Hockey Federation, which dumped him. “He was destroyed,” says Mukul Pandey, his Customs teammate. “I remember a report in the Blitz, claiming he had taken Rs 7 lakh to lose. We wanted Negi to sue the paper, but he refused. He just wanted to blank out the incident.”
Negi kept away for many months. Finally, his friends cajoled him into returning, and over the next few years, says Pandey, he played better than ever, representing his employers and Mumbai hockey with distinction. But he never played for India. But, as Zafar says, “You can’t keep a good man down forever”. His success as a coach finally gave Negi the strength to put those dark days behind.
However Negi denies the movie was based on his life.
Former women’s hockey coach Mir Ranjan Negi, who inspired Shah Rukh Khan’s role in “Chak De! India”, doesn’t want to hog the limelight emanating from the movie’s success.
“I don’t want to hog the limelight. This movie is not a documentary of Mir Ranjan Negi’s life. It is in fact the story of a team that becomes a winning lot from a bunch of hopeless girls,” Negi told IANS in an interview.
“There is nothing called World Championships in international hockey. It would be stupid to believe that Yash Raj Films would pump in Rs.450 million to make a documentary on me. So it’s illogical that it is a documentation of my life,” he said.
In the movie, Shah Rukh plays the role of hockey coach Kabir Khan, who turns a ragtag bunch of girls into a unit that goes on to win the World Championships on the silver screen.
The movie is based on the real life story of Negi, a former Indian goalkeeper who fell from grace after conceding seven goals against Pakistan in the 1982 Asian Games final, after which he was dropped from the side.
He returned to the hockey field, most grudgingly, 16 years later as a goalkeeping coach for the women’s team. India won the 1998 Asian Games gold at Bangkok. But the joy was short-lived as the ungrateful federation sacked Negi, along with six players and the chief coach.
The affable Negi returned to train the girls, won the Commonwealth Games gold in 2002, again contributing as a goalkeeping coach.
“I was never a big coach but I was a good management person. I think being a good man manager is what counts now in modern sports,” he said.
The former women’s coach believes sports movies like “Chak De! India” would usher in a sports movement in the country.
“It is good to see that the culture of sports movies is growing in our country. It can do a whole world of good to the sports culture in our society,” he said.
Negi, who was roped in as a technical director by the film’s producers, said he was impressed by Shah Rukh’s performance and that the superstar was able to do justice to the role.
“When they (producers) were writing the screenplay, they faced some technical problems regarding hockey. Then they approached me and appointed me as the technical director of the movie,” he said.
“Almost 35-40 percent of the movie was about hockey and I had to teach the girls the game so that it looked real on the screen. It was real fun working with them as some of them had never touched a hockey stick in their life.”
The former coach now plans to set up a hockey academy in memory of his son Abhi Ranjan, who passed away 18 months ago at the age of 19 in a motorcycle accident.
Negi’s autobiography “Gloom to Glory” will be released later this month.
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