Chhattisgarh Girls Weave Their 'Hoop Dreams'

NEW DELHI: In an event which can be called a 'Chak De!' Redux , Chhattisgarh basketball women's team is very likely to be the subject of Vikramaditya Motwane's future venture. The director had debuted with 'Udaan' which he took to Cannes, and where it became the dedicatee of a standing ovation.

The news of these gambolling girls - who divide their time between doing menial government jobs and post-evening training at the Bhilai stadium- caught the attention of actor producer Lara Dutta Bhupathi, who then decided to take it up as the subject of her movie along with her production house partner Raj Singh Chaudhary.

The awe-inspiring story of Bhilai girls basketball team is nothing new.

Nurtured and polished by their coach Rajesh Patel, they've been known to set the court on fire with their pyrotechnics with the ball . An eye-popping tally of 45 good, 12 silver and 17 bronze, in almost just as many tournaments, is a glaring proof of their cut -glass performances.

Much of its credit goes to coach Rajesh Patel, who himself couldn't make it to the national team due to his short stature (5.6 inches) .

However, he didn't bog down by dismay and instead strove since then to alleviate the poor girls of the naxal belt by giving them pride of being a sportsperson while also helping them to get jobs.

“It will mean a lot to Chhattisgarh and to Indian basketball if a brilliant director who understands small towns beautifully were to make this movie..” said Patel in an interview given to Indian Express.

Vikramaditya Motwane's maiden venture was based in another steel city , Jamshedpur, just like Bhilai this time.