<p>Geeta Phogat grew up watching her father Mahavir Phogat wrestle his way to win several championships, some of them of at national levels. She recalls how her father had a very different kind of dream for his daughters — Babita and Geeta. He wanted them to become wrestlers just like him. Today, a world class wrestler, who has come up the hard way, Geeta has made the country proud on several occasions. She is the first Indian ever to win a gold medal in women's wrestling in the 55 kg freestyle category in Commonwealth Games in 2010. The journey of Mahavir and that of his daughters have been captured in Aamir Khan’s latest movie ‘Dangal’. <br /><br />In an interview with Nina C George, Geeta recounts a journey which she describes as ‘memorable.’<br /><br />What does wrestling mean to you? <br />Wrestling has toughened me, both at the mental and physical level. Having said that, I don’t mean that it has made me any less emotional a person. It has taught me how to manage my emotions well. This form of sport has instilled in me a competitive spirit. <br /><br />How did you train? <br />I never had the luxury of training at a gym with the latest equipment. My father was my trainer and our method of training was very hard. I began as a teenager. I would have to wake up at 3.30 am and train in the open fields in our small village in Haryana. It involved jogging, climbing trees and high walls with the help of a rope and lifting weights. There were days when I would feel tired and exhausted but our father pushed my sister Babita and me to train and excel in it. <br /><br />Did your injury bog you down? <br />Yes, my injury did tie me down for a bit but I never let that affect my work. I started working towards recovering and getting back on track. I miss being at the Rio this year, but I don’t want to miss the next Olympics. <br /><br />Do you have any regrets? <br />Looking back, I am grateful to my father. Had he not persisted and pushed us to perform beyond what we are capable of then, we wouldn’t have come this far. I appreciate that he had a different dream and vision for his daughters. He didn’t want us to take the predictable path. <br /><br />How did ‘Dangal’ come along? <br />The movie is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and is based on the story of my father, Babita and me. Nitesh met my father and listened to his story and the struggles involved. We also had the opportunity to meet Aamir Khan who was moved by the story of how a father trained his daughters to be world class wrestlers. Aamir plays the role of my father. He also met my sister and me before starting the film, just to get an insight into our life, journey and lifestyle. <br /> <br />How was it to meet Aamir? <br />He’s a brilliant actor and has the ability to pick up real subjects and portray it in a very creative way. We are happy that he wants to bring our story on the big screen. <br /><br />We hear you are getting married soon? Tell us a little about how your fiance Pawan Kumar? <br />Pawan and I trained at the same place and have grown together in our respective careers. Pawan understands how demanding a career in wrestling can be. He too has achieved a great deal and knows how hard it is to stay at the top and achieve success at all levels. <br /><br />What do you do when you are off work? <br />I love shopping for clothes and jewellery. <br /></p>
<p>Geeta Phogat grew up watching her father Mahavir Phogat wrestle his way to win several championships, some of them of at national levels. She recalls how her father had a very different kind of dream for his daughters — Babita and Geeta. He wanted them to become wrestlers just like him. Today, a world class wrestler, who has come up the hard way, Geeta has made the country proud on several occasions. She is the first Indian ever to win a gold medal in women's wrestling in the 55 kg freestyle category in Commonwealth Games in 2010. The journey of Mahavir and that of his daughters have been captured in Aamir Khan’s latest movie ‘Dangal’. <br /><br />In an interview with Nina C George, Geeta recounts a journey which she describes as ‘memorable.’<br /><br />What does wrestling mean to you? <br />Wrestling has toughened me, both at the mental and physical level. Having said that, I don’t mean that it has made me any less emotional a person. It has taught me how to manage my emotions well. This form of sport has instilled in me a competitive spirit. <br /><br />How did you train? <br />I never had the luxury of training at a gym with the latest equipment. My father was my trainer and our method of training was very hard. I began as a teenager. I would have to wake up at 3.30 am and train in the open fields in our small village in Haryana. It involved jogging, climbing trees and high walls with the help of a rope and lifting weights. There were days when I would feel tired and exhausted but our father pushed my sister Babita and me to train and excel in it. <br /><br />Did your injury bog you down? <br />Yes, my injury did tie me down for a bit but I never let that affect my work. I started working towards recovering and getting back on track. I miss being at the Rio this year, but I don’t want to miss the next Olympics. <br /><br />Do you have any regrets? <br />Looking back, I am grateful to my father. Had he not persisted and pushed us to perform beyond what we are capable of then, we wouldn’t have come this far. I appreciate that he had a different dream and vision for his daughters. He didn’t want us to take the predictable path. <br /><br />How did ‘Dangal’ come along? <br />The movie is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and is based on the story of my father, Babita and me. Nitesh met my father and listened to his story and the struggles involved. We also had the opportunity to meet Aamir Khan who was moved by the story of how a father trained his daughters to be world class wrestlers. Aamir plays the role of my father. He also met my sister and me before starting the film, just to get an insight into our life, journey and lifestyle. <br /> <br />How was it to meet Aamir? <br />He’s a brilliant actor and has the ability to pick up real subjects and portray it in a very creative way. We are happy that he wants to bring our story on the big screen. <br /><br />We hear you are getting married soon? Tell us a little about how your fiance Pawan Kumar? <br />Pawan and I trained at the same place and have grown together in our respective careers. Pawan understands how demanding a career in wrestling can be. He too has achieved a great deal and knows how hard it is to stay at the top and achieve success at all levels. <br /><br />What do you do when you are off work? <br />I love shopping for clothes and jewellery. <br /></p>