The Indian Women’s ODI and Test team captain Mithali Raj’s retirement announcement came as a shock to her fans and the followers of the game. Her life and the journey will be told through the Bollywood film Shabaash Mithu, which stars Taapsee Pannu as the titular character. During a one-on-one interaction between the cricketer and the actor, held by Femina, Pannu revealed that one of the high points of playing Mithali’s role was that she defied stereotypes.
When the cricketer asked her what were the major highlights in the film that she felt particularly drawn to, Taapsee answered, “There were a lot of highlights; I was nervous about how we would show your journey, especially in a feature film just a couple of hours long. You were a classical dancer as a kid. Normally, people who love sports as children transition into becoming athletes as adults. But, here you were, a classical dancer, without the kind of attitude you generally perceive a woman to have if she is in sports, taking up cricket, usually called a gentleman’s sport. Society stereotypes that, if you are a sportswoman, you should look a certain way or have a typical personality.”
Taapsee continued, “You defied the stereotype from the word ‘go’. You never had a rags-to-riches story, nor did you face issues where the family never supported you or you did not have enough money. It began after you realised that you were good at it and how you could leave a mark that could change the game for good. That became a high point. From your first-ever international match to all the years you represented India as a captain; to the fact that you were India’s youngest-ever captain to take the team to the World Cup finals and the recipient of the Khel Ratna award. These were some of the crazy milestones that I felt people needed to know. I wanted to use my medium to make sure I could be instrumental in bringing society’s attention to these kinds of achievements.”
She also added that another thing that drew her attention to Mithali was that when a reporter asked her who her favourite male cricketer was, she replied, “Would you ask a male cricketer that?”
“That hit home for me because I could relate so much to it as someone who answers questions like ‘Who is your favourite hero?’ or ‘With which actor would you want to be paired?’ – my male colleagues are never asked these questions. It is as if our entire career is dependent on our male counterparts. So when you said that, I was specially drawn toward your journey,” Taapsee shared.
Mithali Raj, in her career that spanned 23 years, donned the Indian jersey 333 times and amassed a total of 10868 runs at an average of 46.64. Her retirement news left cricket fans heartbroken but they stood by her decision.
Shabaash Mithu directed by Srijit Mukherji will release on July 15.
