As Shah Rukh Khan starrer sports drama, ‘Chak De! India’ completes 19 years on August 10, ETimes caught up with Chitrashi Rawat for a candid chat ahead of the anniversary. While Shah Rukh Khan’s Kabir Khan remains iconic, the film’s ensemble of young women hockey players also became unforgettable, with Chitrashi Rawat’s Komal Chautala emerging as one of the most loved characters.Nearly two decades later, Chitrashi looks back at the film with immense gratitude. From meeting her co-stars for the first time to forming a bond that continues to this day, working with Shah Rukh Khan and learning valuable life lessons from sports, the actor recalls some of her fondest memories from the making of ‘Chak De! India’ and much more.It has been 19 years since Chak De! India, and Komal Chautala remains one of the most loved characters. Did you ever expect audiences to connect with her so deeply?Initially, I had no idea. I was very young and didn’t really understand why people connected with the characters so deeply. The characters just stayed with people. But now, I am much older and have been in the business for so many years, so I understand how rare it is for an actor to be associated with a character that continues to resonate after so many years. I feel really grateful that people still remember the film and remember Komal Chautala with so much love. There is something very special about having that kind of foundation in people’s memories.What is the first memory that comes to your mind when you think about Chak De! India?Actually, it is difficult to pick one memory because of Chak De! India has given us goes beyond words and emotions. Now, I feel that it was not just a film. It was where I met my family. We were a group of young girls from different parts of India, just like the characters in the film. We came from different states and were complete strangers. In the film, the girls initially struggle to understand each other, but slowly they form a bond. Exactly the same thing happened with us off-screen. It took us years to build that bond, and we still keep meeting. They are my family; they are my girls. Whenever we meet or speak, we talk about the anniversary and all our memories. For us, it is actually 20 years because we shot the film a year before it released. We often talk about how, if we hadn’t done this film, we wouldn’t have this bond or the emotional support we have for one another.You have seen the relationship between the girls evolve over the years. What has that bond been like?We have gone through every kind of emotion together. In any friendship, there are so many things that happen. From falling out to finding your way back to each other. That has happened with us too, because the bond is so strong. It is exactly what happens in a family. Sometimes you talk, sometimes you don’t, and then you pick up from where you left off. But the constant connection has always been there. Even if I am not speaking to one of the girls, I will still know what is happening in her life. There is a certain understanding and maturity now. I feel that is very rare, especially in our industry. You work with people, then you get busy with other projects, make new connections, and move on. But the bond we formed happened so organically. I think that is also one of the reasons people connected so deeply with the film.
The film continues to find a new audience even today. What do you think makes ‘Chak De India‘? Why it is so timeless?The film has been so timeless. Even now, two or three incidents have happened where young kids have watched the film with their families and then come up to me, saying, “I saw you. I’m a huge fan.”Sometimes I see a four-year-old kid and wonder, “What does he know?” But they still connect with the film. That is the beauty of it.I think the film connects with a universal emotion. It wasn’t really just about hockey. It was about how people come together despite their differences, team building, and overcoming prejudice. Those emotions are universal and relevant even today. That is the reason why people still connect with it.If you could relive one day from the making of ‘Chak De! India’, which moment would you choose?I actually have two core memories. The first is when all the girls met for the first time at the Don Bosco ground. Before that, we hadn’t even met each other. There was no reading or anything. We simply met for the first time on the hockey ground. I was obviously a little cocky because I was a national-level hockey player. I thought, “I know my stuff.” I had played multiple national tournaments and had been selected for Chak De! because of my performance. So I had this attitude that I knew what I was doing. I would correct the girls and tell them, “No, this is not the way you pick up a hockey stick.” I think the girls were a little distant because of that.Interestingly, one of the girls I met there was someone I had already met at a tournament in Jabalpur. She was representing Maharashtra, while I was representing Uttarakhand. We had become friendly there, although we weren’t close friends. And then, out of the blue, I met the same girl on that very ground. I remember thinking, “This is so bizarre. The world is so small.” That was a really cool moment.
The second memory is from when we were shooting in Australia. I used to have some neck stiffness and would keep doing exercises. Shah Rukh sir must have noticed it because one day he came over and started massaging my neck. Of course, he is known for his famous massages!Everybody on the set was watching. He said, “Tujhe physio ki zarurat hai. Main figure out karta hoon.” He also told me that he had similar neck issues. I was just thinking, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is really cool.” And I remember all the girls looking at me. I was the youngest one in the team, so I think I got a few extra privileges. That is definitely one of my core memories with Shah Rukh sir.If given a chance, would you actually want to relive those moments?I don’t really believe in reliving the past, to be honest. It’s nice to speak hypothetically about it, but I feel what we have now is so good. When you think about reliving something, it is because it belongs to the past. The past is gone. You take the memories, live with them, and continue making new memories. And that is exactly what we have done. Over the last 20 years, we have created so many new memories together. When we meet, we don’t only talk about the time we spent making Chak De! India. We have all done so much in these years, so we have new stories and memories to share. I think that is amazing.You once spoke about Shah Rukh Khan teaching you an important lesson. Looking back, how has that influenced you?I don’t think he necessarily taught me this through words. I think I observed it simply by being around him. At that time, I may not have understood it, but now I realize how significant it was.The way he behaved with us and how gentle he was, despite being such a huge superstar, really stayed with me. We were just young girls, but he treated us like equals. I think that is one of the greatest qualities a person can have. He gives the other person basic respect, gentleness, and grace. He makes it so easy for you to approach him. It is never, “I am so-and-so and you are nothing.” I think I have unknowingly taken that quality from him. I also try to treat everyone equally when we are together. It is such a basic thing that we can do as human beings, but it makes a huge difference.If Chak De! India gets a sequel with the same team. Would you like to be part of it?Obviously, yes! But I would also say that Chak De! India was such a golden thing that we created without even knowing what we were creating. Sometimes I feel it would be impossible to recreate that magic. A sequel can sometimes take away from the originality of the first film because you start trying to over-optimize something that happened very organically. I would personally like to keep ‘Chak De! India’ the way it is and not ruin what it stands for.But would I like to work with the girls again?Absolutely. I have shared the screen and stage with some of them, and it is always amazing because there is such a great level of comfort, bonding, and friendship. I would love for us to come together for another project—not necessarily hockey or Chak De!. There are so many other stories that need to be told. If we all get to be part of something together again, why not?As an athlete yourself, what message would you like to give young girls aspiring to pursue sports?I deeply relate to sports because of my background, and I genuinely feel everybody should play sports. If you have the opportunity to play, you must. The most important lesson sports taught me is how to lose gracefully. That is probably one of the biggest lessons you can learn in life.We grow up in our comfort zones. Our parents provide for us, and we are protected at home, school, and college. But life outside that comfort zone can be unfair. If you know how to accept a loss, you will always be grateful for the wins you achieve. Sports keeps you grounded and level-headed, which is extremely important. Today, the competition is so intense. Children are exposed to so much information, emotion, and comparison from a very young age.You don’t necessarily have to make a career out of sports. But if you have a sporting background, there is a difference in the way you approach life. I meet many people and can see that those who have played sports, whether in school or professionally, often have a very fierce attitude towards life. Sometimes you have to pass the ball to somebody else. Sometimes you will miss your goal, and that’s okay. You keep trying again and again. I think that is the beautiful thing about sports.Finally, what does ‘Chak De India’ mean to you after 19 years?It is difficult to put it into words. We remember the anniversary because it is special for us, but what amazes me is how many people outside our group remember it too. Every August, suddenly, everybody starts talking about the film again. I don’t know if this happens with other films, but with Chak De! In India, love and support have been constant. I have done so much work after that, but the love people have for Chak De! is something completely different. And for me, it will always be special because it didn’t just give me a film or a character. It gave me a family.