The Hindu : New Delhi News : A dream come true for Vidya

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Friday, Mar 14, 2008
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A dream come true for Vidya

Photo: V.V. Krishnan

Looking forward: “Chak De” girl Vidya Malvade in New Delhi.

Bollywood actor Vidya Malvade is a happy woman and for good reason. Her last film, “Chak De India”, not only created ripples at the box office, but also changed the mind-set of people towards the country’s national sport.

During a visit to the Capital earlier this week, Vidya said the film was a baby-step towards popularising hockey: “We showed how hockey officials condescendingly look towards the women’s hockey team. Shah Rukh Khan may be investing his time and money in the Indian Premier League, but through his role of Kabir Khan he has managed to revive interest in the game of hockey among people. Though I haven’t signed anything officially yet, I feel I am an ideal ambassador of hockey. Moreover, all 16 girls who starred in the movie are bonding big time.”

Vidya says as a youngster she had tried her hand at badminton and lawn tennis. “When I got the role in ‘Chak De India’, I concentrated on portraying my character and practising hockey. I had to look like Vidya Sharma, a member of the Indian women’s national hockey team, and not Vidya Malvade.”

“I want to clear the air. There is no war of attrition going on between any of the girls,” she adds.

Stating that the playing conditions for our hockey players have to undergo a serious change, Vidya says: “We need to have more astro-turfs in various cities for the players. We have about 20 astro-turfs in the country, while Holland has 200 of them. There have been situations where a cricketer receives Rs.1 lakh for lofting a six, while a hockey player gets a meagre Rs.1,000 for scoring a goal.”

Vidya says her debut film “Inteha” was a box office disaster and from thereon her career in Bollywood went haywire. “Luckily ‘Chake De India’ came my way. It was literally a dream come true. Two films, ‘Striker’ and ‘Kidnap’, will be released soon. I am looking forward to playing my favourite festival Holi in Mumbai. My fondest memory of the festival is going to my grandmother’s house where all my cousins would converge.”

Madhur Tankha

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