As usual, my friend Nilesh Rane has beaten me to writing the review of Chak De! So here goes : ) Chak De India!
This one is must watch. “Chak De India’, in a way, symbolizes a resurgent India, breaking free from the shackles of the past and looking ahead for a glorious future.
A film, which I am sure, has touched a chord (or two), in every person, who has seen the movie.
It’s the story of ‘ Kabir Khan’ ( played by a subdued SRK), who is a committed captain of the Indian hockey team, which, loses to Pakistan in the final of the World Cup. Kabir, who takes the last penalty shot, miscues it and is ostracized by the country, with allegations on having ‘sold’ the country for the sake of money.
Kabir, then disappears in the oblivion, only to reappear after 7 years, to exorcise the demons of the past, by coaching a team of 16 girls, which, the Indian sports bureaucracy has written off even before they leave for the world championship.
The movie revolves around the grooming of this ‘underdog of underdogs’ team into a world-beating outfit. The grueling training that their coach puts them through, the sense of self – belief that he instills in them, the camaraderie that he builds in them and ‘can-do’ spirit that he puts in them.
The movie touches upon the sorry state of affairs of women’s sport in the country and the chauvinism, which is omnipresent, even 60 years after India gained her Independence.
The movie has its poignant moments and for once, King Khan has let the limelight shine of this bunch of young girls and a sport, which even the men’s team has very few takers in this country of Cricket lovers.
The Director has kept the pace of the movie even and there isn’t one lax moment. The portrayal is realistic and the characters, very life-like and very believable. The movie does make you sit up and take notice and it involves the audience, in this women’s team tryst with destiny.
You feel a wave of patriotism run through you, as this team, manages to surge ahead, in spite of all odds, and beating some of the top teams of the world. And even as you walk out the theater, you will still find yourself basking in the after-glow of the ‘cinematic’ victory of ‘our’ girls!!
This is a must-watch for every movie-lover, and not just for the joy of watching a good movie, but also, to reaffirm the film industry’s faith in this so called ‘off-beat’ cinema, which also make commercial sense.
The audience is waiting to lap up and endorse good cinema and the powers-that-be of Bollywood better take cognizance of this fact and encourage and support fresh talent, with ideas, which may not be main-stream, but are very refreshing and saleable.
Nilesh Rane
