Remember ‘Komal Chautala’? The tomboyish hockey player who played a pivotal role in India’s victory against Australia in Chak De India? Chances are you won’t— because ‘Komal Chautala’ (Chitrashi Rawat in real life) had been in hibernation since then and has recently decided to make a comeback with one of the most unlikely vehicles— a comedy reality show (Comedy Circus on Sony).

The pretty actress Is finding it difficult to break out of the Chak De mode, despite it being more than a year since they did the movie. She has her reasons. The primary one being that she is a hockey player in real life who has recently decided to take up acting as her profession. “I have been playing hockey from the age of six! I have played state and national level hockey championships,” says the 18-year-old girl originally from Dehradun.
Chitrashi, who looks vastly different from the tomboyish image that was portrayed in Chak De, never really thought of taking up acting as a profession and had no interest in it whatsoever. “I was practicing at a hockey camp in Jabalpur, when Shimit Amin (director of Chak De India) came to select some girls for his movie. He saw me during a practice match and asked me to do a skit,” remembers Chitrashi.

Amin asked her to enact a scene where she was close to the D and waiting for a pass that was just not coming. The anticipation for the pass, the eagerness to score a goal and the frustration at not being able to do so needed to come out. “I did that and he liked my performance. That’s where my acting career started— in a hockey field!”

Chitrashi, apparently is the first one in her family to take up sports and acting! “Apart from my maternal uncle who had dabbled in sports for some time, there is no one who is even remotely connected to sports,” says a smiling Chitrashi.

Did she expect Chak De India to be such a big hit? “Honestly speaking, what mattered to us then was working together in the project. We were confident that with Shah Rukh Khan involved, the film would be successful, but didn’t know that it would be such a big hit. I think what satisfies me most is the fact that for the first few weeks people used to watch Chak De to see Shah Rukh, but later on it was the Chak De girls they went to watch!” says Chitrashi.

What made her choose Comedy Circus as a comeback vehicle? “I don't look at it as a comeback vehicle. I think I am very new to acting and need to learn the tricks of the trade. There were two options for me— to go to an acting school and taking a course, or learn on the job. I preferred the second.

“In addition to that a reality show has a number of advantages. You can perform in front of a live audience, get instant feedback from experts and also learn to work without retakes!” explains the teenager who has comedian Rahman Khan as her partner in the show.

Does this mean we will see her in television serials soon? “Not really. I don’t think I am cut out for daily soaps and won’t be able to handle the pressure. For me a show like Comedy Circus and movies are the best bet,” says Chitrashi.

Any other film projects up her sleeve? “I am playing the role of a Model Coordinator in Madhur Bhandarkar’s next film Fashion. It’s quite a significant role where most of my shots are with Priyanka Chopra. I am also scheduled to act in a Sree Ashtavinayak release, the name for which has not been finalised. There was another film I was doing with Shiney Ahuja, but unfortunately that got shelved after one month’s shooting in South Africa,” informs Chitrashi.

It seems the teenager is all set to run a victory lap in Bollywood in the years to come!