What do you prefer watching Cricket or Hockey?

Obviously, I am more of a cricket fan..But, whenever there are any chances of watching hockey, I have watched it.. But not a regular hockey watcher though..

Name your favourite Hockey Player!

Dhanraj Pillai, I would not say favourite.. But he is one of the few I have watched playing well.

What are your thoughts on Cricket completely overtaking Hockey in our country?

Bascially Hockey was a Big Craze years back.. That was the time when we won the Olympic Gold and everything. But now Cricket has overtaken hockey by a huge margin.. All play cricket today, cricket is a passion and craze.. It is played everywhere and one can say that it is a common man’s game.. The craze for cricket is probably because of the Success of the Cricket team, which started with India winning the 1983 World Cup. Then the Craze and fan following of players like Sachin Tendulkar and many others have just lifted the spirit of the game. The thing about Hockey is that it could not produce bigger stars. While full credit should go to the Cricket Organisers, the same thing cannot be said about Hockey..

Do u think we will ever get back the Golden Era as regards the game of Hockey? Will this film motivate people towards the game?

I guess there are chances. It is not impossible for hockey to come back in a big way. But it will take lots of hard work, time and planning at all levels.. The game has to be promoted well and someone who has the knowledge and foresight should take the initiative. I think this movie Chak De India with the popularity of Shahrukh can get back the passion for hockey in the mind of masses. Movies can make anything happen..

Is Chak de India..our last hope when hockey game is considered?

No, this is just the beginning. The first step is to get Hockey back and I remember a step being taken in this direction, with the start of Indian Hockey League sometime last year… This has been introduced to create awareness about hockey, it is similar to the 20-20 matches in cricket. Now the next step will be Chak De India..

Are you looking forward seeing this film? If yes, what is the reason?

I am planning to watch this film on it first day first show. (Laughs) First of all, this is a film related to sports.. So I love watching it. Infact, I like to watch such films, the latest I have watched is the film Goal. I am hard core fan of films based on sports.. Another thing is that ShahRukh is in it. This film overall looks to be motivating and inspiring..

Lastly, what are ‘Boxy Boys’ upto now?

Boxy Boys are now into football.. It is the rainy season and we love playing football in this weather. We have a friendly match this Saturday against JW Marriot. So we are looking forward to that.. As of now, we are chilling out and relaxing. The cricket season should start by September.

Chak De Phatte!!