CHENNAI: The Chhattisgarh women’s team edged past Karnataka in the semifinals of the 68th National Basketball Championship in a thriller on Tuesday.
Under Rajesh Patel’s tutelage, the team has been highly successful. From the 2003-04 season, Railways had won the nationals 10 years in a row. But in 2014, the Seema Singh-led side broke their streak. Back then, the feat was celebrated so much that there were plans to make their historic achievement into a movie.
After four long years, that has been confirmed, with shooting set to start in March. Actress Lara Dutta will produce the movie on Patel and his home, where he shelters 20 players, including India star Poonam Chaturvedi. Surya Bhawan is a hostel-like set-up in Bhilai. Patel takes care of the expenses of the girls staying there. The NIS basketball coach said that their journey has not been easy, as most girls are from Naxal-hit areas. There are seven from a tribal background.
With barely any money to have even one meal a day, these girls are now living the dream. “I sat with the producers and the entire team for about eight to ten days to finish the script, which was done recently. They were very particular about minute details. We had to visit houses of players and observe many things. The people behind the movie spent some days at my place to see how everything worked. The movie will mainly be about that and the 2014 nationals. Poonam, Sivani, Anju and few others who were a part of the team back then will star in the movie,” Patel said.
Many Indian sporting achievements have been made into movies in recent times. However, this one won’t be a commercial flick. “Slumdog Millionaire jaisa movie hai yeh,” said the coach. “Seema was the captain back then. Her role will be played by a heroine from the industry. The film was supposed to be directed by an Indian. Now, a new foreign director will take charge. We don’t know who is going to act in the movie. Their plan is to make it as a biopic. The film will be released for normal audiences as well as at famous festivals.”
Still battling a brain tumour, Poonam starred with 44 points against Karnataka. But, she still doesn’t seem happy. “Everything in life is difficult,” she said. Her stellar performance notwithstanding, she is more worried about Commonwealth Games selection process. However, the mention of being in a movie makes her smile.
vimalsankar@newindianexpress.com
Semifinal results: Men: Services bt Indian Railways 93-65; TN bt Punjab 90-72. Women: Chhattisgarh bt Karnataka 79-78; Indian Railways bt Kerala 76-63. Schedule (Finals): Men: TN vs Services. Women: Chhattisgarh vs Indian Railways.