I mentored myself: Mithali

Special screening of Shabaash Mithu held in Hyderabad

“The films no one does come to me. It may be because of several reasons. Or may be because of the snowball effect of characters I portrayed in earlier movies,” says Tapsee Pannu, film star who donned the lead role in the film based on Mithali Raj’s life Shabash Mithu, the unheard story of the greatest women cricketer from India.  “Whatever may be the reason, that fact is that the roles other actresses are scared of doing land in my lap,” said software engineer turned actor Tapsee Pannu while interacting with Shubhraa Maheshwari, Chairperson of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) Hyderabad Chapter. Tapsee Pannu and Mithali Raj, the face of Indian women’s cricket, were in a conversation with Shubhraa Maheshwari in a session held in in the city on ‘Women in Sports—Struggle and Success’.  Shubhraa Maheshwari said the will to prepare for winning matters the most. These two are incredible sportswomen in India. Their respective journeys, struggle, and achievements are a great inspiration to many. “I am always very frank in revealing my mind. This frankness, my honesty is very well received in the industry. It also landed me many good roles,” Taapsee said. “If you want to achieve what you have not achieved before, you must do what you have not done before. This has been my funda. And I am good with what I have got so far,” she shared.  “I make the most out of my life. I am an open book. There was no fear to fail because I started from scratch. I was new to the craft. I did not know acting before,” Tapsee said. “I learned everything while doing it. Even for the coming film, I learnt cricket. Cricket is something new to me. I didn’t lift a bat ever in my life. I give my best in whatever I do. If you pull me down, I bounce back,”Taapsee told her audience. “I speak out my mind in public, about what I feel strongly about anything, be it menstrual hygiene or problems confronting the nation. Why shy and shun away. I prefer being there and making my voice heard,” Tapsee said.  Mithali being one of the early women cricketers in the country didn’t have any mentors to look up to. “ I mentored myself. When I had to take tough decisions in the field my father used to help me. He was like a mentor there for me. My father (Dorai Raj) was more of a cricketer than a friend in guiding me through the sport,” she said. “I picked up the sport watching my brother play. It was tough to convince my parents as it was known those days as a gentlemen’s sport. People didn’t recognise the sport,” Mithali said. “There was no money. Knowing well that it was an unknown sport I ventured into it, which was an adventurous decision. I am big on my commitment and sincerity for the sport,” she said. Mithali’s journey in the sport made the sport a viable career for other women. She asked mothers to encourage their daughters to pursue the sport of their choice. Women’s cricket must be celebrated, she said.  Mithali had a special screening of the movie Shabaash Mithu on Wednesday.