Chak De! Go grab a hockey stick

Chak De! Go grab a hockey stick

Posted by crazytasa23 on August 23rd, 2007

Shah Rukh Khan film’s release sees spurt in sale of equipment Link

The Bollywood field of influence has momentarily shifted from hairstyle to hockey sticks, from sex appeal to sporting spirit. Chak De! India has achieved the impossible in leading sporting goods stores — hockey sticks have outsold cricket bats over the past two weeks.

Ever since Shah Rukh Khan and his girl gang hit the halls on August 10, demand for hockey equipment has gone up. And in keeping with the Chak De! effect, many first-time buyers have been girls.

“We have sold about 30 hockey sticks in 10 days. In the same period, only 20-odd cricket bats were sold,” smiled Harish Sachdev, director of Bodyline Sports, which has three outlets in the city. “On the day the film released, there were many kids who came to our store to pick up a hockey stick. In the past few days, we have had teenagers and older people buying the equipment.” Most hockey sticks sold were in the Rs 150-450 bracket.

GK Sports has recorded a 30 per cent rise in the sale of hockey sticks this fortnight. “The boost in sales can surely be attributed to the film. Some of the buyers seemed genuinely interested to pursue the sport,” said partner Adeep Kapoor.

But for those inspired by the heroics of SRK’s Team India, the reel romance may last only till it encounters ground reality. The first to point that out is Paritosh Sarkar, who has been trying to sell hockey sticks for 30 years in Maidan Market. “Some buyers did turn up after the film was released, but this can hardly become a trend in a state with no astroturf stadium. Let’s face it, hockey is dead here,” he shrugged.

Bengal Hockey Association secretary Gurbux Singh echoed the seller’s cynicism. “Interest sparked in the movie hall will fizzle out as soon as an enthusiast encounters the sorry state of Bengal hockey. I have been crying myself hoarse but neither the government nor any private company is ready to fund an astroturf field,” he rued.

Romance will run into a rude reality check as soon as these first-time enthusiasts step on to the field, warned young hockey veterans. “The movie is inspiring and it has created awareness about women’s hockey. But infrastructure here is so appalling that there is little hope for the game,” says Shakuntala Shaw, 16, a Behala girl playing for the past eight years.