The reel has turned real at the Paris Olympics.

On Saturday, controversy erupted during India's men's hockey quarterfinal match against Great Britain when Indian defender Amit Rohidas was red-carded after his stick inadvertently struck a rival player's face. Despite Hockey India's complaint over the decision, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) upheld the red card and suspended Amit for the crucial semi-final against Germany, sparking outrage among Indian fans and officials.

It has now come to light that Amit's suspension letter was authored by none other than Joshua Burt, the actor who portrayed the coach of the Australian women's hockey team in the iconic Indian movie 'Chak De India'. In the film, Burt's character famously faced a crushing defeat at the hands of the Indian women's hockey team.

Born in Melbourne, Joshua Burt is a passionate hockey enthusiast who has made significant contributions to the sport off-screen as well. He has coached, managed, and officiated at an elite level, being part of the officiating teams in both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. He is currently serving as a technical delegate to FIH at the Paris Olympics.

"Amit Rohidas was suspended for one match for a breach of the FIH Code of Conduct which occurred during the India vs Great Britain match on August 4," the statement, authored by Burt, read.

“The suspension affects match No. 35 (India's semi-final match against Germany), where Amit Rohidas will not participate and India will play with a squad of 15 players only.”

Despite the early setback in the game – over 40 minutes were remaining in the match when Amit was shown the red card – India managed to force a penalty shootout against Great Britain, eventually clinching a 4-2 win in the shootout. The side will now meet Germany for a place in the men's hockey final, as the side aims to win a second-successive medal at the Olympics; in Tokyo 2020, the team returned with a bronze.

Harmanpreet and his men would not only look to better the colour of their Tokyo medal but would also want to give a befitting farewell gift to the talismanic goalkeeper, PR Sreejesh, who had announced that the Paris Games would be his last international tournament.

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