Saand Ki Aankh: Meet Chandro Tomar, who defeated an army officer in her first match
8:05 AM
Posted by Fenil Seta
Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 30, 2019)
She missed the trailer launch of Saand Ki Aankh, a film based on sister-in-law Prakashi Tomar and her life, but sharpshooter dadi Chandro won’t let a fractured hip stop her. Speaking to Mirror from a Delhi hospital where she is recuperating after a surgery, the veteran is elated by the first reactions to the film. “My students have been calling me non stop, excited that now there’s a film not just about shooters, but their own teacher,” she relays.
The 87-year-old believes a film on the subject was long overdue. “Sure, girls from the village are now stepping out of their homes to pursue careers, but what about our women? I was already 60-plus when I started and if I could do it, so can the others,” she asserts.
Her son-in-law was keen his daughter learns shooting, but her granddaughter Shefali was shy and to show her it was no big deal, dadi picked up the gun. “My son-in-law was among our first supporters but not before he was doubling over in laughter. He was incredulous when he learnt I was hitting the bullseye and kept asking where I’d learn it,” laughs the octogenarian.
The first time she competed was from the North Zone. The match was held in Chandigarh and she defeated an army officer. “When they called him on stage, he told everyone he was disappointed to have lost to a woman who’d picked up a gun only recently,” she reminisces. Her granddaughter was competing in the same match, in the junior category. “We both won medals,” she informs proudly.
The Revolver Dadis, as she and Prakashi are known, forged a close bond with the actresses, Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar, who play them. They filmed in their village, Baghpat, with extended families flocking to their house to watch the shoot. “Taapsee used to stay in my room and Bhumi shadowed me. They picked the vegetables they wanted to eat from the fields, humble girls with no tantrums,” she raves. Pointing out that once she had to face a lot of backlash for picking up a gun and competing with men but “Today, the elders look at me with respect and acknowledge that it’s because of us that people know the family and the village.”
This entry was posted on October 4, 2009 at 12:14 pm, and is filed under
Bhumi Pednekar,
Chandro Tomar,
Chandro Tomar interview,
Delhi,
Interviews,
Saand Ki Aankh,
Taapsee Pannu
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