The legendary MS Dhoni is arguably the most loved Indian cricketer ever. In whichever way possible, fans don’t shy away from showering fondness for the Chennai Super Kings captain. One such video of a fan named Haseena Nasreen Shiuli hugging and (apparently) kissing Dhoni is doing the rounds across social media platforms these days.
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For the unversed, the video dates back to 2007 when the Indian cricket team was training at the Eden Gardens for a tour of Bangladesh after being embarrassingly knocked out of the ICC Cricket World Cup.
While Dhoni’s effigies were burnt post disappointing performance in the world event, similar protests in different parts of the country only a few weeks ago had no affect on Shiuli. Adamant to meet Dhoni, she visited the BC Roy Club House for three days in a row before eventually getting an opportunity to present Dhoni with a greeting card over a couple of months before his 26th birthday.
Shiuli, however, leaped to hug and kiss Dhoni right at that opportune moment. As expected and rightly so, the act drew criticism from many corners of the society. Although fandom is common phenomena in India, such an act shouldn’t have happened at the cost of breaching boundaries and security arrangements. That said, Shiuli, 18, hadn’t expressed any regret for her actions.
“I’m proud of what I’ve done. I don’t care what the people say,” Shiuli had told The Times Of India back in the day.
“Ha biye korte chai, tobe o jodi korte chay tobe, jor kore na [Yes, I want to marry him, but only if he wants to marry me, not unwillingly],” she had told reporters as quoted by Xtra Time.
Shiuli’s Brother Had Claimed That Sister Hadn’t Kissed MS Dhoni
Belonging to Khagam, Murshidabad, 245 km away from Kolkata, Shiuli was a first-year student studying at the Behrampore College in 2007. Despite her actions raising more than a few eyebrows among her relatives, her immediate family stood like a rock by her side. Her brother even stated publicly that she did nothing wrong by exhibiting love as a fan.
“She didn’t kiss him. Some people are being unfair on her,” Mehboob Rehman, Shiuli’s elder brother, had told Telegraph India.
Not keeping well for a while, Shiuli’s mother required medical attention. Therefore, the family had planned a trip to the City of Joy for her treatment. The trip, however, proved immensely joyous for Shiuli as her biggest desire was fulfilled. As per her elder sister, she couldn’t tolerate hearing even a single bad word against MS Dhoni post the 2007 World Cup debacle.
“She cannot tolerate criticism of [MS] Dhoni. She has quarreled with a lot of people who have criticized Dhoni for his performance in the World Cup”, Kuheli Begum was quoted as saying by Telegraph India.
Besides her brother, Shiuli’s father, too, believed that there was nothing unnatural in an 18-year-old expressing admiration for her hero. As for Dhoni, a devotee had shouted “I love you” at him earlier this year as well.
