Euphoria over, Chak De’s Soi Moi aka Nisha Nair is back on turf

A boys versus girls game is on at the Bombay Hockey Association...

A boys versus girls game is on at the Bombay Hockey Association (BHA) turf. The dearth of skilful players for the women’s team has forced the coach to organise this mixed game that will decide who represents Mumbai at the women’s nationals. Suddenly, a Chak De! India girl on the field catches attention. It’s Soi Moi, the Jharkhand girl whose famous Ho! charmed audiences across the country.

In total contrast to the role she played in the super-hit movie, Nisha Nair in real life is a motor mouth city slicker from Bandra and a third-year B.Com student. Her connection with the BHA is emotional since it was here about a year back that Yashraj casting scots spotted her and later offered her the chance to be in the star cast that was led by Shah Rukh Khan. Critical acclaim and a prestigious film award later, Nair is back at BHA.

But in many ways, nothing has changed for her or her sport. She still remains the second goalkeeper in the Mumbai side that is dominated by three ageing former internationals returning after maternity leave. Chak De hasn’t quite seen a mass exodus of SRK’s young female fans from the theatres to the astroturf. “Just 22 turned up for the open trials. There is no new faces,” says Nisha, who as Soi Moi was part of the overwhelming optimism about women’s hockey post Chak De! India.

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Nisha complains of lack of practice since most of her last 12 months were spent either in front of the camera or in post-release spotlight. “I have a lot of things on my hand. Since it’s my final year in college, I have to concentrate on my studies. I am in a dilemma about going for the nationals or to stick to books. Last year, I was mostly busy with the shooting,” she says.

Nisha says that she does get recognised on streets and even gets stopped for autographs but that hasn’t meant that Chak De! India fans will come to see her play too.

Another girl at the trials, Sushma Kharab of Western Railway, too asserts that the movie hasn’t been able to give impetus to the game. “At times it gets disgusting when someone yells Chak De when we move out of homes with hockey sticks and kit. They have no knowledge about the game beyond that,” she shrugs.

“It is because of hockey that Chak De has benefited. I don’t think hockey can benefit because of Chak De. Media is trying to portray that the film will see women’s hockey improve but I don’t think so,” Kharab adds.

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The Bombay Women’s Hockey Association’s secretary Happy Mann agrees: “A player is not born after watching a movie, instead years of hard work has to be put in,” she says.