‘If Dangal 2 is ever made I’ll play myself’: Female wrestler Geeta Phogat plans for one-day Bollywood stardom

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At the age of 28 Geeta Phogat has already been the subject of Bollywood's biggest blockbuster ever. Life, the wrestler might tell you, divides itself neatly into 'Before Dangal' and 'After Dangal'.

Wrestling brought Geeta honour and recognition, while the film about how her obsessed father Mahavir Singh Phogat moulded her into a champion wrestler made her a celebrity.

'If Dangal 2 is ever made I will play myself! The film is too much a part of my identity now,' Geeta laughs. 

Geeta Phogat

She is elated that Dangal, after grossing over Rs 540 crore in India, has now taken in massive Rs 187-crore-plus haul in neighbouring China. 

'I am loving every bit of it! The film has made Indian wrestling famous all over the world and has endeared my family to everyone, so we are thankful to Aamir Khan and the makers. I am particularly happy that Dangal has made my father a household name. He is so genuinely passionate about wrestling,' she says. 

Geeta's current occupation, of course, takes her away from the big screen as well as the wrestling mat. 

She is testing waters in a very different terrain — as a contestant on season eight of the stunt-based reality game show Khatron Ke Khiladi. 

She says her reason for participating in the show is to scare all fears away from her life. 'I want to rid myself of whatever fears I have, though I cannot imagine any of the tasks on the game show will be daunting enough to scare me,' she grins. 

The buzz this season has substantially been around Geeta's participation, among an assortment of showbiz personalities — most of whom are TV stars. There have been rumours that she is the highest-paid contestant, though Geeta will not confirm it. 

What she does announce openly is that she considers herself the outright favourite to win this year. 

'I feel I am physically stronger and fitter than the other contestants,' she explains. 'Being a sportsperson I am also geared better psychologically to rise up to daunting challenges.' 

For Geeta, though, there is one commonality between wrestling for the country and playing to win a reality show. 'I need to enjoy the game first, in order to win it. I have represented India so many times at the international level. Winning at that stage is about honour and pride, not reward. 

'The focus is on winning against foreign rivals. Main jeetoongee toh desh jeetega (if I win, the nation wins). If I win, the national anthem will play. One can't compare that feeling with anything else in life. 

Geeta Phogat: 'On Khatron Ke Khiladi, I am competing to prove myself at a personal level.'

'On Khatron Ke Khiladi, I am competing to prove myself at a personal level,' she explains, adding that a perk that worked in enticing her to participate in the show was to try out extreme sports. 

'I have never tried extreme sports and stunt-based games in any way before, so this will be an exciting first,' she says. 

The past year, of course, has seen a chain of exciting firsts. Dangal brought alive her life on the blockbuster screen.  

She married fellow wrestler Pawan Kumar in November, amid a star-studded guest list that included Aamir Khan and Olympic 2016 bronze medallist Sakshi Malik (a tattoo on her forearm incidentally stands testimony of her love for hubby). 

She joined social media and her follower count continues to grow by the day. 

Geeta is more than a wrestling star now, in a country that by and large continues to neglect the sport. She is a celebrity. 

While her sporting days will one day be over soon, many people have started looking at her as a Lady Dara Singh of sorts. Her rising stardom is reminiscent of Singh, champion wrestler who was christened Rustome-Hind for reigning over four decades in the sport, before finding success as an action filmstar. 

'I am not looking at stardom or films yet. There is still a lot of wrestling left in me. In 2018, there is Commonwealth Games coming up, and also the Asian Games. The Olympics will also happen. Right now I am focused on all the heavy duty wrestling coming up next year. I hope to win medals at these Games,' declares Geeta. 

Yet, her very first brush of showbiz — by way of Dangal — has brought controversy in its wake. PR Sondhi, the national wrestling coach during Geeta's 2010 Commonwealth Games gold-winning stint, has accused the makers of falsely vilifying him in the film. 

People have also pointed out several sequences — including one that shows Geeta's father Mahavir Singh Phogat being locked away in a room during her final match — never actually happened. 

'I don't understand controversy. Maybe, the national coach felt bad about certain things shown in the film. That, however, does not take away the fact that the makers have otherwise worked meticulously to create an overall true account of our lives,' insists Geeta, vouching for the film's authenticity. 

Geeta's father Mahavir Singh Phogat (right) on the set for Dangal. Wrestling brought Geeta honour and recognition, while the film about how her obsessed father Mahavir Singh Phogat moulded her into a champion wrestler made her a celebrity.

'Whatever you saw in Dangal was 99 per cent true. It is a film, so I understand some amount of fictional drama has to be inserted into the story to make it interesting. For me, Dangal was true enough to make me laugh, cry and make me feel proud as I re-lived all those moments of my life while watching the film with my family,' she says. 

Geeta would rather gloss over such controversies and look at the power of cinema to popularise a cause. 'Cinema can take any message to all. Dangal, for instance, initiated everyone in India to wrestling in a way sports channel will never do, what with their excessive focus on cricket.' 

She would love to see more biopics as Dangal. 'Films inspire, especially biopics of those who become achievers against all odds. I feel Bollywood should make more films about people who come from humble backgrounds and go on to make the nation proud.' 

Talk shifts to her favourites in films and filmstars. 'I love Sunny Deol, I have forever loved his films,' says Geeta, with schoolgirl enthusiasm. 'My father did not allow us to watch many films when we were growing up, but the few that I would manage to watch would invariably be of Sunny paaji! I can watch any of his films again and again.' 

She is clear-cut about her top pick flick, too. 'That would have to be Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. I have lost count of how many times I have watched the film. Dangal is also a favourite now, for the obvious reasons.' 

The next few weeks, of course, will keep her away from all that's favourite including Sunny Deol, as she tries to win Khatron Ke Khiladi 8. She finds motivation in her father's words. 'He always tells me to never think of oneself as inferior to anyone and to never succumb to the notion that one cannot do something. Mann ki haar asli haar hoti hai,' she signs off.