Jwala loves putting on a show

If badminton can be compared to Bollywood, then Saina Nehwal is the undoubted shuttle queen while Jwala Gutta is the perennial item girl who stays in the limelight on and off the screen. [caption id=“attachment_61780” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“On her part, Jwala is fiercely protective of her partners, including Ashwini Ponnappa. Manan Vatsyayana/AFP”] [/caption] And just like the showbiz industry, the 27-year-old will at times overshadow the lead actress with a performance worthy of a masterpiece. It is just that the daughter of an Indian father and a mother of Chinese descent had the ability to stake claim for the crown herself. But, instead, she opted for a role that got her the eyeballs, but never the recognition and the respect she deserved. Jwala Gutta has remained an enigma for almost everyone who has interacted with arguably the best doubles player in India, and the unusual name has only added to the mystic. It is extremely difficult for even those who have known her for years to predict which Jwala would turn up – the firebrand youngster spoiling for a fight or a laidback fashion crazy girl who enjoys the rich lifestyle. And between those two extremes, lies a shuttler who had the ability and the talent to create a niche for herself in the world of badminton, but was happy bossing around in the relatively mediocre domestic doubles circuit for almost a decade. Many would be unaware that Jwala won the junior national singles crown in 2000 with relative ease at the age of 17. In fact, she held the record of being the only Indian player to beat Aparna Popat - in a team championship match - during her nine-year domination on the national title before Saina Nehwal achieved the feat in an Asian Satellite final in New Delhi in 2005. But just when the coaches were looking forward to grooming a new champion, she began concentrating on doubles. Despite the quality of strokes and understanding of the game, Jwala was unwilling to put in the kind of physical efforts required by a singles player. Her doubles partnership with Shruti Kurien had started blooming during the same time and the arrangement worked wonderfully for Jwala as her partner was willing to run around the court while her strong build intimidated opponents on the net. Even during those days, Jwala was clearly the dominant partner. At times, she would ridicule her partner on and off the court or praise her to everyone who cared to listen as if Shruti was a child under her guardianship. The system definitely worked as Jwala and Shruti won eight national titles and climbed to a career high ranking of 23 in the world. It was clear from the junior days that Jwala automatically assumed the leadership role, be it on the court or in her personal life. Even during her courtship and subsequent marriage to Chetan Anand - they are now divorced - badminton circles were always abuzz with talks about how the left-handed shuttler used to wear the pants in their relationship. In fact, even when chief national coach Pullela Gopi Chand decided to stop Chetan and some other players from playing in an international meet during the national camps period, it was Jwala who raised the flag of rebellion and missed no opportunity in converting the issue into a big media circus. In the two years since, the advent of Saina on the Indian badminton scene meant that she was no longer the centre of attraction in a badminton tournament – something that rankled her at times. She, then, began throwing tantrums at the organisers for giving step-motherly treatment to doubles players in domestic tournaments. While her points were valid, her demeanour ended up putting people off. This is when she began taking her badminton seriously again and found able partners in V Diju (mixed doubles) and Ashwini Ponnappa (women’s doubles). Both players are content to stay in her shadow and hardly bother to talk about themselves or their game to the media unless approached. Even on the court, both of them acknowledge Jwala’s superior skills of reading the game and are willing to play to her game plan. On her part, Jwala is fiercely protective of her partners and has played a big role in building up the self-confidence in both the players. The badminton skills of Diju and Ashwini were never in doubt, but they needed someone to make them believe in themselves and Jwala needed no other invitation. While Jwala and Diju rose to a world ranking of 8 in 2010 before the latter suffered a back injury, the women’s doubles combination has created history by winning the CWG gold and a bronze in the world championship last week. However, for outsiders, it can be unnerving to see Jwala playing god-mother to Ashwini or Diju on and off the court. And the worse part is that there is not even a cosmetic effort to project equal status to her partners. But then, ‘extremes’ is the natural state of existence for the Hyderabadi lass. Her social life ensures that her name is written more in the gossip columns rather than sports pages. And though she makes a hue and cry about invasion of privacy, she definitely likes the attention she gets. One thing is clear. She may continue to crib about not getting the respect of the “lead actress” despite giving power-packed performances on the badminton court. But at heart, she will remain the “item girl” who knows how to impress the connoisseurs and also win the hearts of the general public. The message is loud and clear.