'Goonga Pehlwan' Virender wants to fight 2016 Rio Olympics

The 2013 Deaflympics gold medallist Virender Singh, popularly known as 'Goonga Pehelwan' or mute wrestler, has set a new target for himself, the 2016 Olympics.
Singh, who is deaf and mute, harbours a dream of competing with normally-able wrestlers at the next Olympics to be held at Rio De Janeiro in Brazil and is seeking the government's assistance.
"I have won so many medals but the government is still not supporting me which makes me really sad. If it supports me, I will be more inspired and perform better," Singh, said through an interpretor.
The wrestler was here to participate in a recent screening of a biopic on him made by filmmakers Vivek Chaudhary, Prateek Gupta and MitJani, produced by an NGO Drishti. The event was organised under the Lila foundation.

"This is the sport that I have always loved and it has given me so much. It it's all that I have ever done right since my early childhood," Singh said.
The 28-year-old wrestler had won a gold medal at the 2013 Deaflympics in Bulgaria this year in the men's 74kg Freestyle event.

Previously he picked up a gold at the Deaflympics in Melbourne in 2005 and a silver at the World Deaf Wrestling Championships in 2008 in Armenia. He had also scored a bronze at the 2009 Deaflympics in Taipei.
The documentary, 'Goonga Pehelwan' showcases the struggles of the deaf athlete, in getting recognised by the government and equal treatment accorded to normally-able athletes.

"I love my country and I can never be rude. I am a humble person and I can never boast about it. It is God and I believe in him. I accept everybody and never reject anyone. He also maintained that he never considered giving up or quitting wrestling," says Singh.
The wrestler who has trained with Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar said, "I know in my heart that one day things will turn out to be better and I still carry that hope in me."
Director Vivek Chaudhary said the film is a medium to facilitate the wrestler's quest to reach the Olympics.

"The biopic would be a fit in for iconising someone whose recognition has been long due and which highlights the over all sports bureaucracy as it functions today," filmmaker Debrun Dutta said.