HEARTBREAK!

Mona

As the country was slowly reconciling to the hockey loss on Wednesday morning, wrestler Vinesh Phogat being disqualified right before the final for being just a hundred grams overweight threw the entire nation into mourning! The thrill of our Haryana girl defeating Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman 5-0 in the semi-final in women’s 50 kg wrestling event to reach the Olympic final, was washed down as a night full of effort by Vinesh and her team fell short.

Dangal actor Aparshakti Khurana, did not let grief overpower what was and still is an incredible feat. “What happened with Vinesh Phogat is truly heart-breaking, but kudos to her. What a woman. What resilience. What a show! She made India proud, and only that matters. Inspiring to another level,” shared the actor, who played Omkar Singh Phogat in the sports biopic.

The entire country backed Vinesh, reaching out to her on social media, right from the Prime Minister of the country to sportspersons to the common man. The film fraternity too showed support for the athlete. Huma Qureshi was one of the first ones to express her solidarity. “But… You are gold @vineshphogat. Heart broken,” she posted on her Instagram story. Actress Taapsee Pannu, who has been part of sports dramas Shabaash Mithu, Rashmi Rocket and Saand Ki Aankh, took to Instagram to express her support, “This is heart-breaking, but honestly this woman has already made her mark beyond gold by now! @vineshphogat.”

Taapsee’s Saand Ki Aankh co-star Bhumi Pednekar lauded Vinesh for her courage and determination, “You are and will always be a winner @vineshphogat itni jaan aur himmat bahut kam mein hoti hai.” Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar echoed the same sentiment, writing, “Champion @vineshphogat. You are gold! What you have achieved is beyond medals. So proud. So inspired.” Uri actor Vicky Kaushal too posted on his Instagram story, “A winner beyond medals,” along with Indian flag and red heart emoticons.

Actor- director Farhan Akhtar, who won over the audience playing The Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh, in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, wrote a heartfelt note on Instagram, “Dear @vineshphogat ... One can only try and imagine how devastated you must be, but still not fully understand. Heartbroken for you that the quest ended like this. But please know that we are all very proud of you and all you have done for the sport. You will always be a champion and an inspiration to millions. Keep your chin up.” There were others who weren’t afraid to share their disappointment, “Heartbreaking,” wrote actress Rakul Preet Singh, on her Instagram story with a broken heart emoticon. “Heart-broken ... We are and forever will be proud of you dear @Phogat_Vinesh #Champion,” posted Riteish Deshmukh on X.

Then there were others who questioned the crushing development, leading to hordes of conspiracy theories, “Who believes this 100 grams overweight story?” questioned actor Swara Bhasker. Youtuber Dhruv Rathee found the shocking development unbelievable, offering his ingenious solution in an X post, “Just for 100 gms?? This sounds too unbelievable…That much weight can be reduced by just shaving the head.”

Dangal actress Fatima Sana Shaikh, who essayed role of Geeta Phogat, posted a bunch of news reports on her Instagram stories, first calling out people for not being in solidarity with the wrestler when she was ‘seen crying on streets’ and then lauding her for making it to the final match and later supporting her after the disqualification. Her co-star, Sanya Malhotra, who played Babita Phogat in Dangal, wrote on her Instagram Story, “True champions are defined not by a single moment, but by their resilience, and you have shown incredible strength and dedication throughout this journey. Vinesh! There is no one like you!

Overall, the sentiment was that of grit amidst gloom, as ace actor Alia Bhatt took to Instagram stories to send a message of solidarity, “Vinesh Phogat you are an inspiration to the entire nation. Nothing can take away your resilience, nothing can take away your courage and nothing can take away the hardships you’ve been through to create history! Today you must be heartbroken to say the least and we are heartbroken with you. But woman you are gold — you are iron and you are steel! Nothing can take that away from you! A champion for the ages! There is no one like you @ vineshphogat,” adding a Tricolour emoji.