Indian hockey player Sreejesh PR’s life might inspire a movie: Talks are happening, he says

After the bronze finish at the Tokyo 2020, hockey player Sreejesh PR has received calls from Bollywood and the Malayalam film industry for his life story to be depicted on screen. “I got calls and a couple of talks are happening. I don’t know if it’s going to happen or not. I told them that there is nothing in my life to tell other people. The only thing I’ve done is play hockey. But they say, ‘Everything’s there: your love story, struggle, hard work, injury and success’,” the Padma Shri awardee tells us.

Like a true team player, the Padma Shri player credits his Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2021 to his team members. “It was a wonderful experience. I have not individually done anything for this team. We collectively won medals for the country. They are equally part of this award,” says Sreejesh.

The goalkeeper of the Indian Men’s Hockey team, also known as Great Wall of India, already has a host of tattoos, but wants to mark the Olympics victory with a tattoo soon. “I do have tattoos on my body. I wanted to do a memorable on with an Olympic ring.But when you’re planning you need to have atleast five to six hours. And that I am trying to find the time for,” he shares.

After the victory, every moment was a “cherished one”, says Sreejesh, who got to meet actors Mammootty, Amitabh Bachchan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi; and the list goes on. “Superstar Mammootty came to my house and congratulated me. Then definitely KBC...Amitabh Bachchan is so kind and a sweet person. He never treats you like you’re a small person, he treats you like you’re better than him. And to be PM Modi’s guest and chat with him was so wonderful.All these things are part and parcel of the game. You just need to work really hard to achieve something.”

The 33- year-old keeps himself motivated, despite his share of ups and down, with motivational books. “That is what I took up reading more seriously. There is always downfall. You can’t perform the same all 365 days. If there is a bad day, I try to forget and move on. And if you succeed, you enjoy it for the day and move on to do better. Because if you celebrate your success a lot, you feel extreme joy and extreme sadness,” he says.

Sreejesh feels “good to be back on field” after the felicitation functions and looking forward to events such as Men’s Asian Champions in Bangladesh and 2023 World Cup. “It is quite tough for everyone to jump in to the past form. You cannot expect us to perform the first tournament (after Olympics) to the way we played in Olympic Games as that took preparation of almost two years. We are focusing on individual skills and understanding between team member, and we are looking at the basics now to better our team for Paris 2024,” he shares.

Author tweets @Nainaarora8

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