Negi plans match between screen-players and real ones

(PTI)

Don't be surprised if the actors you have seen playing hockey in the Bollywood film 'Chak De India' take on the national women's hockey team in an exhibition tie in the near future.

This is exactly what's on the mind of former Indian men's team goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi, who trained the on screen players for Shahrukh Khan starrer film that hit the theaters on Friday.

"When I started training them (16 in all) for the movie, barring three or four, none had any idea not only about hockey but even about running. You can see the promos for the film and get an idea of the transformation after comparing them with their on-screen performance," Negi said.

"It's mind-boggling how they have shaped up. When they started they did not even know how to run but now they can play good hockey. I am sure they can give a good fight to the Indian women's team. They won't be embarrassed and I am actually thinking of organising such a tie," Negi said.

Negi, who has coached the national women's team as assistant to M K Kaushik for two years in 2003 and 2004, said the actors in the movie were trained on the beaches here and at Marine Drive.

Negi said two of the actors who are seen as hockey players hailed from Manipur and the rest came from other parts of the country like Delhi, Punjab, Uttaranchal and even from Kolhapur in south western Maharasthra.

He wished the national team members also got the facilities like the movie actors received and expressed the hope that the sponsorship from City Limousine would improve lot of the country's women hockey players.

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http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1115018