Smriti Mandhana : Head Shave is her Identity (2)

A week passed after Smriti’s first head shave. She continued going to college and cricket practice with her bald head. On Sunday morning, she quietly walked back to the same roadside barbershop. Smriti sat on the chair and simply said, “Chacha, Do head shave” Mahesh looked at her confused and said “Again, You just got it shaved last week,” Smriti smiled and replied, “I want to keep it like this only.” Mahesh was hesitant for a moment, but seeing her determination, he wrapped the white cloth around her shoulders and poured water over her short stubble. He then picked up his straight razor and carefully started shaving her head. The small stubble came away with the razor, leaving a clean strip of skin behind. Smriti watched quietly in the mirror, but this time she didn't feel it strange, she felt happy and smiled. Mahesh continued fastly, moving the razor over the sides and back of her head. After that he applied a little soap over her scalp and began shaving again, clearing the remaining stubble and making it smooth and shiny. Mahesh finished the shave and wiped her bald head with cloth and ran his hand lightly over her scalp and smiled at smriti. Smriti immediately placed both palms on her bald head and rubbed it from front to back. The smooth feeling made her smile even more. She paid Mahesh chacha, thanked him, and walked home with a completely fresh shave. This time, She was simply happy that she had chosen to shave her head again not as a rebel but to make it her identity.

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When Smriti reached home, Sharan was sitting in the hall with Sunitha and Shridhar. The moment he saw Smriti, he looked at her freshly shaved head and ran inside excitedly. “Mom! Sister got her head shaved again!” he shouted. Sunitha immediately came out and stared at Smriti in disbelief. “Again?Have you gone mad or what smriti?” she shouted. Smriti quietly walked inside, but Sunitha was already angry at her. “What is wrong with you? Why did you shave your head once again!” she said. Shridhar also looked angry and asked, “Smriti, why are you doing like this? What was the need to go bald?” Sunitha came close to her and slapped hardly on her bald head. Smriti held her shaved head and angrily replied, “I don't need anyone's permission to decide my life decisions, I like my shaved head, and I am going to keep it like this.” Her answer made both parents even angrier. Shridhar raised his voice and said, “So now you have learnt to back answer to us?” Sunitha said, “Fine! If you don't want to listen to your parents, then do whatever you want. From today, we don't care.” Shridhar also scolded her. Smriti stood silently as she was hurt by their words, but she did not take back what she had done. Sunitha turned away and went into the kitchen, while Shridhar stopped speaking to her. Even Sharan, who had been watching everything, became quiet. From that day, Smriti was fully ignored at home. But she continued with her cricket practice.

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Every week she went to Mahesh chacha's barbershop for another head shave. What had started as a rebellion was now becoming a part of her life. After finishing college, Smriti left her family home and moved into a PG with Shreyanka. She had no distractions and completely focused on cricket. Her practice became easier, her game started improving. Her batting became more confident and Coach Ravi began giving her more hard training. At the same time, Smriti continued getting her head shaved every week. In the beginning, she went to Mahesh chacha's barber shop, but after some weeks Shreyanka started helping her in head shave. Slowly, Shreyanka showed her how to do it by her own, and after a few attempts Smriti learned to shave her own head. Soon she no longer needed anyone else. Every week, she would maintain her completely shaved head herself and then leave for cricket practice. Her cricket was improving, her confidence was growing, and she was finally building a life of her own. Over the next few months, Smriti performed well in several matches and got selected as a district player. Her name slowly became familiar to people in the area, and even those who had once laughed at her shaved head now talked proudly about her cricket. One afternoon, Rani came to meet Sunitha and was ready with plenty of gossips “You know what, I have been watching Smriti's progress. From childhood itself she was very stubborn. 

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Even in college she used to bunk classes for cricket it seems, and then she suddenly shaved her head,” Rani said with a knowing smile. She kept talking about Smriti as if she knew everything about her, Sunitha listened quietly and finally said, “Enough, Rani. I don't want to talk about all this.” But after Rani left, Sunitha sat silently and felt sad thinking about her daughter. She still couldn't accept the shaved head and kept thinking, “I only told her I would give her a boycut. Why did she have to shave everything?” Shridhar also started hearing Smriti's name more often whenever he went outside. People would stop him and ask, “Are you Smriti's father?” and others would ask Sunitha, “You are Smriti's mother, right? She is playing so well!” They had no answer except a quiet nod. On the other side Smriti continued training hard and kept moving forward in her cricket career. Smriti's name started spreading beyond the district as she played more matches and kept improving her game. Her timing with the bat became one of her biggest strengths, while her quick fielding also made people notice her. Small brands soon approached her for simple advertisements, and she slowly started appearing as a young sports model. After every good match, more people began following her and praising not only her cricket but also her courage and sportsmanship. Her shaved head was always noticed too, and people started talking about how stubbornly she had continued keeping it shaved despite all the criticism. 

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Soon Smriti was selected for the national team, and the news spread quickly. Her cricket now gave her a much bigger audience, and surprisingly, a separate group of fans had also started supporting her specifically because of her bald look. Five years had passed, and Smriti was now an official member of the Indian women's cricket team T20, Test and ODI. After so many years away from home, she finally decided to meet her family. When she entered the house, Sharan was the first to see her and stood there in surprise, looking at her shaved head covered with scarf, he recognized her quickly. Sunitha came out next, and the moment she saw Smriti, her eyes filled with tears. She looked at her daughter for a few seconds and softly said, “Come inside, Smriti.” Smriti walked to her and hugged her without saying anything, and Sunitha held her tightly. Sunitha wanted to say many things, but she didn't have the courage to speak much; her regret was clear when she looked at Smriti's smooth bald head. Later, Sharan and Smriti sat together and started talking normally, and Sharan playfully snatched the scarf she used to cover her shaved scalp from the sun “Give it back,” Smriti laughed, but Sharan kept teasing her with it. Just then Shridhar entered the room. Smriti laughed, rubbed her bald head and started getting up, but Shridhar stopped her. “No, no, it's okay. Sit down. I won't mind smriti,” he said. He looked at her shaved head and smiled. Slowly, Sunitha also joined them, and they asked about her cricket.

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When they got to know that Smriti had bought her own house, owned a car and even had people working at her home, both parents were surprised by how much their daughter had achieved. But Sunitha still tried to convince her, “At least now stop shaving your head smriti. Grow your hair. You have proved yourself enough. Come back home, get married, and live a normal women's life. If you have taken any loans for this, we will somehow repay them.” Smriti looked at them in disbelief. Even after everything, they still thought her success was just luck and couldn't understand how she had achieved so much without their support. Hurt and angry, Smriti stood up and walked toward the door. Before leaving, she looked at Sharan and said, “Keep that scarf with you. Save it as my memory.” She stepped outside, rubbed her smooth bald head with frustration, and walked away from the house without looking back. Smriti's first few international matches were not easy. The moment she walked onto the field with her completely shaved head, cameras turned toward her and spectators started talking. During one match, a player from the rivalry team looked at her and laugh, “Why do you shave your head? Couldn't you keep your hair like a normal woman?” A few players nearby laughed, and Smriti simply walked away without answering. In another match, some fans in the stands shouted, “Look at her bald head” and made jokes about her bald look. It hurted her badly, 

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especially when she heard similar comments even during practice session but she ignore. Then she came in to bat and scored a strong fifty, followed by an excellent fielding performance that helped India win the series. The same people who had laughed became quiet. In the next series, another group of fans again made comments about her appearance, but this time some Indian supporters started shouting her name and cheered her. Her performances continued to speak louder than the comments. Slowly, journalists and cricket fans started learning why she had first shaved her head and why she had continued doing it for years. Her story changed the way people looked at her. Soon, the bald head that she was mocked for, became the reason for her appreciation. As Smriti's story became more popular, a sports influencer made a video about her shaved head, her cricket journey and the reason she had first taken the decision. The video spread quickly, and soon many girls started talking about Smriti. Some joined cricket coaching, and other sports being inspired by her confidence. Beauty parlors and local barbershops also started getting more young women asking for short haircuts and boycuts, and a few even decided to shave their heads completely taking Smriti as inspiration. Deepa noticed the change in business and proudly told her customers, “Smriti used to get her head shave done at my parlor and i gave her the first shave.” She started supporting Smriti openly and began giving head shaves to women.

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Even Rani, who had once mocked Smriti, suddenly started supporting her. It was October 10th India vs Pakistan world cup finals. During the practice session Smriti was warming up with others. A few Pakistani players noticed her short stubble and started making comments about her bald head. Smriti heard them but ignored. After practice, she went back to her room, looked at her stubbled scalp in the mirror and decided to shave it completely before the match and look presentable. She took her razor and slowly shaved her own head, going over the scalp until there was no visible stubble left. She washed her head, checked it in the mirror and smiled before putting on her cap. When the match started, Pakistani fans continued making comments about her bald head while she fielded near the covers. Smriti stayed focused, and ran across the field and took many difficult diving catches. Later, while Smriti was batting, the Pakistani wicketkeeper tried to provoke her again by making comments about her bald head, but Smriti remained calm and answered with three boundaries. The bowler became frustrated after getting hit and made another comment about her family, and this time Smriti's face became serious. She took the next three balls and hit three huge sixes, taking India to a crazy death over victory. As the match ended, Smriti removed her cap, threw it into the air and proudly rubbed her completely smooth bald head while celebrating with her teammates. 

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The moment was caught on camera, and within hours her bald-head celebration was everywhere on social media, becoming one of the most viral moments of her career. Smriti's popularity kept growing, and soon companies started approaching her because of her famous bald look. She began getting advertisements for Gillette razors, shaving creams, Philips trimmers, scalp-care products, caps and hats, and even products made for keeping a shaved head clean and smooth. With every advertisement, her fanbase became bigger, and people started recognizing her not only as a successful cricketer but also as the woman famous for her completely shaved head. She also started receiving messages from people who admired her and wanted to meet her, and some even approached her with marriage and relationship proposals. Smriti took it all lightly and continued focusing on cricket. By then, shaving her head had become a normal part of her routine. She would shave before important matches, advertisements, photo shoots and major events. She also regularly used scalp-care products to keep her shaved head healthy, clean and naturally smooth. Over the years, she noticed that her hair was taking longer to grow back and was becoming much thinner. When she consulted the doctor, he told her that years of repeated shaving and the products which she had used had affected her hair growth, and the change was visible. Smriti wasn't worried because she was already comfortable being bald and had no dreams of having long hair.

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She simply looked at her smooth scalp in the mirror and thought, “I have lived like this for so long now. Even if it becomes permanent one day, I won't mind.” Her bald head had started as a rebellion, but now it had become the most recognizable part of Smriti herself. After Smriti became one of the most recognized cricketers in the country, Bollywood director Karan Johar became interested in her unusual journey. He discussed the idea of making a biopic about her with producer and former cricketer Virat Kohli, who liked the story and agreed to invest in the film. During their discussion, Virat suggested his wife Anushka Sharma for the lead role. “She can bring the right emotion to this character, after marriage she hasn't done much blockbuster movies, this will gonna be a comeback blockbuster for her” he said. Karan agreed and soon they discussed with Anushka for the role. They explained Smriti's childhood, her fight with her family, her cricket journey and, most importantly, how her shaved head had remained part of her identity. Karan told her, “The film will take around 120 days to complete, and for almost half portion of the movie you will need to look completely bald and it may take nearly two months mam.” Anushka asked, “Can't we manage that with CGI or Prosthetic bald caps?” Virat replied, “We can anushka, but it wont have the same essence and perfection” Karan also agreed with virat, Anushka sat quietly and thought about it. “If I am playing her role, I don't want the bald look to feel fake,” 

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she finally said. “If Smriti could face all those people and continue with her shaved head, I am ready to shave it for the film.” Anushka made her decision. She agreed to shave her head for real and maintain the look during the required shooting period. Soon the preparations began, the cameras were set, and the first day of the film shoot arrived. The film shoot went smoothly, and Anushka really shaved her head on camera for the role. During the shooting period, she kept her bald look and appeared on the sets every day with the same smooth shaved head as Smriti. To keep the real reason private, Anushka and Virat told fans that they had visited Vrindavan and that she had donated her hair as a vow. The film was finally completed, and on the day of the pre-release event, Smriti was invited as the guest of honor. She met Karan and Virat first and congratulated them for completing the film. While walking around the venue, she noticed Anushka's caravan and decided to meet her. When she entered, she stopped in surprise. Anushka was sitting there with her completely shaved head, just like Smriti. Smriti smiled and said, “I still can't believe you actually did it mam.” Anushka laughed and replied, “If I was going to play you, I wanted to do it properly mam.” Smriti came closer and gently rubbed Anushka's short stubble, while Anushka laughed and did the same to Smriti's smooth shaved head. “You know mam, I used to watched your films when I was a child and you were my favorite actress, 

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but never expected that you would play my role ” Anushka smiled and said, “And you were the reason I decided not to use CGI or bald cap.” Both of them laughed, looked at each other's shaved heads and continued talking about the film. For Smriti, it was an unforgettable moment—the girl who once shaved her head to fight against everyone was now standing beside an actress she had admired, seeing her own story brought to life on screen. As Smriti and Anushka were getting ready for the pre-release event, a barber entered the caravan and said, “Sir asked me to come and give you a final head shave before the event mam.” Anushka smiled and sat down. The barber placed a cloth around her shoulders and gently poured water over her small stubbles until her scalp was wet. He spread shaving foam across her head and began with a straight razor, slowly clearing the stubble from the front, sides and back. Smriti watched from nearby and smiled. “I still can't believe you actually kept your head bald for the movie for almost 5 months,” she said. Anushka laughed. “After doing it for the film, I understand why you never wanted to grow it back. It actually feels very nice and liberating” The barber finished the first shave, but Anushka rubbed her scalp and said, “Please shave one more time sir. Don't leave rough spots.” He applied more foam and carefully shaved her head again until it was perfectly smooth. Anushka rubbed her scalp and smiled at Smriti. “It feels like even you have not shaved your head, 

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Please do join with me mam” she said. Smriti smiled, agreed happily and sat down in the chair, and the barber wet her small stubbles with water before applying a fresh layer of foam. He started shaving her head, slowly scrapping away the stubbles. Anushka watched and asked, “After shaving your head for so many years, do you still enjoy it like before?” Smriti smiled. “Yes mam, Its more over like a feel good therapy.” The barber continued until every remaining hair was gone, then shave donce again making it smooth and shiny. When he finished, Smriti ran both hands over her freshly shaved head and smiled. The barber packed his things and left, leaving both of them completely bald. Smriti and Anushka looked at each other, laughed and gently rubbed each other's freshly shaved scalps. They then got ready and walked into the pre-release event together. The event became a huge success, and after its release, the movie became a major hit and started trending everywhere. Smriti's story reached millions of people, and many sportswomen later chose boycuts and even shaved their heads after being inspired by her journey. What had started years earlier with one young girl shaving her head as an act of rebellion had now become a story of courage, Inspiration to many and sign of her strong independence. Smriti stood proudly with her completely shaved head, knowing that the bald look she had once been mocked for had finally become her identity.

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