Mumbai: The performance of the Indian women’s hockey team Monday made Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan feel nostalgic. It took Shah Rukh Khan back to his role of a tough and dedicated hockey coach in the acclaimed sports drama Chak De! India. The superstar Monday encouraged the Indian women’s hockey team, who made their maiden entry into the Olympic semifinals, to bring a gold medal.
Shah Rukh played Kabir Khan in the 2007 Shimit Amin-directorial film. He portrayed a character which led the Indian women’s hockey team to their win against Australia in the World Cup.
The reel victory was scripted in real life Monday after the team, led by Dutch coach Sjoerd Marijne and captain Rani Rampal, created history by advancing to their first ever semifinal at the Olympics in Tokyo after beating three-time champions Australia by a solitary goal.
After the win, Marijne apologised to his family for delaying his travel plans in a tweet. He quipped “Sorry family. I coming again later. (sic)”
To which Shah Rukh, true to his witty persona, replied saying bringing a gold medal on their return would be a suitable gift for him on Dhanteras, which this year coincidentally falls on the actor’s 56th birthday.
“Haan haan no problem. Just bring some Gold on your way back….For a billion family members. This time Dhanteras is also on 2nd Nov. From: Ex-coach Kabir Khan,” the Bollywood star wrote.
See link for pix: https://twitter.com/iamsrk/status/1422120843816042502
Marijne expressed his gratitude to the actor in a cheeky tweet. “Thank you for all the support and love. We will give everything again. From: The Real Coach,” he wrote alongside a photo with the team after winning the match.
Following the win, hashtags of ‘Kabir Khan’ and Chak De! India started trending on the microblogging site Twitter. The friendly banter between the reel and real coaches, however, also led to some social media users trolling Khan.
Some tweeples criticised the actor for allegedly taking away the limelight from Marijne, who hails from the Netherlands. Another person wrote that people should celebrate real heroes and not film stars.
There was also plenty of support for the superstar with a fan digging out a 2017 tweet of Rani Rampal, Indian women’s hockey team captain, where she praised the actor’s Chak De! India. Sharing a tweet by Doordarshan on the film’s screening on its channel, Rampal had tagged Shah Rukh and wrote, “@iamsrk sir your movie is really a big motivation.”
Other film personalities like Anushka Sharma, Arjun Kapoor, and Taapsee Pannu also celebrated the historic achievement and congratulated the team on social media.
Describing the win as a ‘Chak! De’ moment, Pannu said the victory was humbling. “Our chakk de moment never felt more real! Our girls beat the Aussies 1-0 and stormed into the semis! Go for it @imranirampal your girls have our heart,” Pannu wrote, tagging Rampal.
Anushka took to Instagram and wrote that the women’s hockey team had made the entire country proud.
“India creates history again!! Congratulations to the women’s hockey team on qualifying for the semi finals! Super proud,” the actor-producer wrote.
Arjun shared the news of the win on Instagram and wrote, “What a proud moment for us! Both our hockey teams went into the semifinals! Let’s go team India. We’re so proud.”
Actor Randeep Hooda said it was surreal to witness the game imitating the thrill of the film. “What a match. Super defending. Real imitates Reel #ChakDeIndia. History created by the Indian Women’s #hockeyindia first semi final like ever,” Hooda tweeted.
