In a conversation with NDTV, Chen shared how Dangal, which is still the highest-grossing Indian film in China, mirrored her own life.The movie stars Aamir Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat, a determined father who trains his daughters, Geeta and Babita, to become top-notch wrestlers.
“When I watched Dangal with Chinese subtitles a few years ago, I noticed an uncanny resemblance between the wrestlers’ father and my own. My father was a hard taskmaster, much like the father portrayed in the film. I feel he was even tougher on me,” Chen said.
Chen’s father, who ran a Taekwondo training center, introduced her to martial arts at the age of five. She recalled how she despised his relentless pushing and even ran away from home. However, she later returned, and this marked the beginning of her journey to winning an Olympic gold medal, much like the journey depicted in Dangal.
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“Yes, you could call me a chip off the old block when it comes to inheriting my father’s grit and toughness, similar to the characters in Dangal,” she added.
Chen Shih-hsin made history by winning the gold medal in the women’s 49-kilogram category in taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Now, she teaches around 100 children at her Taekwondo school in Xinfeng, near Taiwan’s semiconductor hub, Hsinchu.
Dangal remains the biggest international box office success from India, grossing over Rs 2000 crore, followed by Baahubali 2, which made over Rs 1700 crore, and RRR, which made over Rs 1200 crore.