By:
Faridoon
Shahryar,
IndiaFM
Monday,
August
06,
2007
Jaideep
Sahni
is
a
new
age
writer
and
lyricist
with
quality
films
like
Company,
Khosla
Ka
Ghosla
and
super
hit
films
like
Bunty
Aur
Babli
to
his
credit.
He
is
excited
about
his
next
film
Chak
De
India
starring
Shahrukh
Khan
and
Vidya
Malvade
which
according
to
him
is
the
story
of
an
underdog.
IndiaFM
chatted
up
with
him
on
what
all
went
into
making
Chak
De
happen,
how
the
team
is
dealing
with
the
thanda
response
to
the
promotional
video
of
the
film
and
why
Shahrukh
Khan
wasn't
unhappy
with
the
film's
director
as
reported
in
some
media
circles.
How
did
Chak
De
India
happen?
Three
years
back
I
was
in
Delhi.
At
that
time
I
came
across
a
report
in
the
news
paper
that
the
Indian
women's
hockey
team
had
won
an
international
tournament.
My
heart
swelled
with
pride.
The
write
up
was
very
small
and
that
struck
me.
If
the
Indian
cricket
team
would
have
won
something,
then
they
would
have
got
two
pages.
This
subject
kept
turning
in
my
head.
It
grew
on
me.
I
researched,
read
a
lot
on
hockey
and
hung
around
in
stadiums.
After
Bunty
Aur
Babli,
Adi
asked
me
what
are
you
doing
next!
I
told
him
there's
a
story
that
is
not
leaving
my
head.
It
is
about
women's
hockey
team,
they
do
well
against
foreign
teams
who
have
hundred
times
better
resources.
I
narrated
to
Adi
and
he
said
that
this
film
has
to
be
made.
I
started
developing
it
and
then
the
principal
character
of
coach
came
in.
Shimit
joined
us
and
he
is
not
the
kind
of
person
who'd
do
a
film
just
for
the
heck
of
it.
Why
did
you
think
of
Shahrukh
Khan
to
play
the
coach?
Once
we
started
writing,
it
just
seeped
into
our
minds
that
Shahrukh
has
to
be
there.
He
has
been
a
hockey
player
and
we
found
the
same
spirit
in
him.
What
was
the
next
step?
The
search
for
girls
took
half
a
year
and
training
them
took
about
four
months.
Searching
for
the
players
was
a
hell
of
a
task.
There
were
parts
where
we
required
the
physical
presence
while
there
were
some
parts
for
which
we
needed
actors.
Then
we
realized
it
was
a
much
bigger
thing.
From
4:30
in
the
morning
till
2:30
in
the
afternoon
all
players
were
practicing
hockey
after
that
till
evening
tea
it
was
time
for
acting.
After
evening
tea
there
was
dialect
training.
The
players
were
from
all
over
the
country
and
the
dialect
had
to
be
right.
After
that
there
was
gym,
sauna
and
injury
management.
We
also
had
motivation
speakers,
players
from
various
sports
etc.
We
had
decided
that
we
won't
roll
camera
till
the
time
they
look
like
players.
A
team
has
to
look
like
a
team.
Then
there
were
readings
of
their
parts
with
Shahrukh.
The
promos
of
the
film
haven't
generated
much
curiosity.
In
fact
there
were
reports
that
the
video
of
one
of
the
song
was
hooted
when
it
was
played
in
between
Jhoom
Barabar
Jhoom.
We
had
been
sleeping
for
2-3
hours
at
night.
We
saw
these
things
in
the
papers
but
we
were
too
much
into
it.
Once
it
got
over
we
slept
uninterrupted.
The
curiosity
about
the
film
is
natural
as
it's
an
underdog
story.
Our
entire
promotion
plan
is
a
mix
of
all
kinds
of
things.
We
showed
the
music
video.
It
was
a
new
thing.
Sometimes
it
works
sometimes
it
doesn't.
What
about
reports
of
SRK
being
unhappy
with
Shimit
Amin
and
the
entire
making
of
the
film?
Interestingly
we
used
to
laugh
at
all
these
reports.
If
anyone
works
with
Shahrukh
they
know
the
kind
of
commitment
he
brings.
He
also
acted
as
an
off
screen
coach
as
well.
He
helped
in
things
like
crowd
management.
Movies
based
on
sports
haven't
worked
in
Bollywood
barring
a
rare
Lagaan.
Does
that
bother
you?
If
a
movie
is
a
worthwhile
experience
people
will
come
and
watch
it.
Our
job
is
to
tell
stories
and
that's
what
counts.
You're
also
associated
with
Madhuri's
comeback
film
Aaja
Nachle?
I've
written
the
script
and
lyrics.
What
are
your
forthcoming
projects?
I've
written
lyrics
for
Disney-Yashraj's
venture
Roadside
Romeo
directed
by
Jugal
Hansraj.
I've
also
written
lyrics
for
the
title
track
of
Johny
Gaddar.