Aug 13, 2007 01:11 PM
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Who is this Shimit Amin is the first question…… How did he make such a kick-ass
movie on a neglected sport? His previously directed film is Ab Tak Chhappan but he boasts of a solid
technical background from Hollywood. Perhaps that is the reason why Chak De! India is so sophisticated. Yash Raj is back in form after a series of blunders and King Khan……is still the King. Chak De India rocks!
A nation that screams Cricket, a nation where women are traditionally housewives,
a nation where chalta hai is the norm and unity comes up only during a crisis needs to watch this movie to realize that we still have a lot to do and we can have a determined and professional approach to everything and every sport…… even our National Sport, Hockey.
The most daring thing that the film makers did was to focus on a Women’s Hockey team and that is perhaps why the movie is so interesting.
Kabir Khan falters during the World Cup finals in a penalty shoot and he is accused of unfair
play. His patriotism in being a player is questioned and being unable to face the indignity, he goes into exile. Years later, the Indian Women’s Hockey team desperately needs a coach who can lead them to the World Cup while the Association sees no point in promoting the hopeless sport and that too, for a
women’s team.
The orthodox bench men are challenged by the only Coach who takes on the mighty task of preparing the team for the world cup. Kabir Khan returns from exile and in his novel, mature and determined manner, builds the team spirit which had been lacking and trains them rigorously for the upcoming world cup.
The beauty of the film lies in the essence of each character and the state of
Hockey in India. Each girl comes from a different part of the country with a different background and language. Each has an ego and each has a talent.
It takes a while for Kabir Khan to bring out the team spirit among the girls who are belligerent, not easy to get along with themselves and unprepared for the challenges that lie ahead. It is an uphill task for the coach but his determination, experience and wisdom bring about the change in the women. The
episode of eve teasing at *McDonald’s *is a great idea by the director to show how team spirit works off the field too.
The end of the game between the boys and the girls’ team is touching and the music
right after that is very uplifting. *Chak De *is a very catchy anthem if that is an appropriate term to use for the song……
Unlike a Hollywood sports movie, Chak De is really interesting because it focuses on various complexities in India. The lack of public interest in sports other than Cricket, the lack of sporting infrastructure, cultural issues for women, the general mindset that does not encourage women to make a career in sport, the diverse cultures within the country that make it difficult for the team to get along, the bureaucracy of sports organizations and their apathy towards building a sport and some professionalism.
These issues, especially with women’s hockey team and ShahRukh Khan as the superlative coach, make Chak De India a film worth watching for all.
The second half of the movie is as exciting as a world cup tournament can get. The triumphant climax is credible, thrilling and heart warming. The film is engrossing throughout its 2 hrs 40 min length and with the appropriate use of music and humour, it is a fun filled time.
The film is well paced, well edited, stylishly picturised, with a simplistic yet efficient screenplay and an effective, powerful soundtrack make this film a technical prodigy. Director Shimit Amin avoids all possible nonsense and brings in a lot of sophistication in the film with his background.
All the girls have acted very well and those with the complex idiosyncrasies in
their roles also live up to the expectations. Some of them look really hot as well! ShahRukh Khan delivers a powerful performance and is convincing as a coach.
The teams (Hockey team and film crew) deserve applause for bringing this act
together and it will impress those who hold great sports films like *Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Lagaan and Iqbal *close to their hearts. This one definitely falls in that league, if not at par with
them.
Cheer along! There will be lots of clapping and whistling going on in theatres 9.22 On a scale of 1-10.
