'God has given me a second life'

“It takes two minutes flat to fall in love with SRK,” exclaims 49-year-old MR Negi, the former Indian hockey goalkeeper who trained SRK for over four months for the movie Chak De . Inspired from the real-life story of Negi, SRK plays the role of a hockey coach, Kabir Khan, and turns a bunch of girls into a unit that goes on to win the World Cup.

To Negi, this is one way through which God is giving justice to him, finally. Over 25 years ago, at the Asian Games finals, India were humbled 1-7 by Pakistan. Negi was blamed for accepting a bribe to betray his country at this tournament. For those who knew Negi, the accusations were damning, slanderous and false. This episode sent Negi into a shell from which he found very difficult to emerge.

But hard luck struck again. “Two years ago, I lost my 19-year-old son Abhiranjan. And the world came crashing down around my wife and me. On the Terahvi (13th day ceremony) of my son, I was told about the Chak De script. Leave alone the movie, even the idea of playing hockey ever again was completely out of my mind,” says Negi.

Eventually, friends convinced Negi to take this forward and he met filmmaker Aditya Chopra, SRK, and the movie shaped up. Another interesting person he met recently was SM Masood, chairman of City Limouzines India Ltd and official sponsor of the Indian Hockey Federation. “After meeting me, he decided to contribute over Rs 1 crore for the women’s hockey team and I insisted that he gives his contribution right into the players’ hands.”

A spirited Masood says, “Nobody seemed concerned enough about our national sport. But we aspired to make a difference. Be it providing kits, training or aid in selection rounds, we help. And it really isn’t all about money, call this Indian passion.”

Over the past two decades, Negi (who’s now a customs officer) has been writing his soon-to-be released biography - Gloom To Glory , and founded Abhi Foundation in memory of his son, which works towards the cause of hockey. “I have never asked for any help from anybody. But God seems to have saved the best for the last,” says Negi.