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August 11, 2007

Chak De India - Movie Review

Chariots of Fire..Remember the Titans..Rocky..Million Dollar Baby..Lagaan..

The movies listed above have many things in common-sports, passion, patriotism and teach the spirit with which any game is played. And the latest addition to this list, which handles the above with great ease is Chak De India..

Let me first start with the sport first. Hockey as many might not know is the National game of India. The game which in the recent past has been the most neglected one, mainly due to the hype created around cricket by the media and the lack of sponsorship for the game. Men's Hockey in India is still popular with the Indian Men's team having won as many 8 golds till now in Olympics. The sport is not followed as religiously as cricket in India and has led to the deterioration of the game to a large extent. In fact any other sport for that matter does not stand to compare with cricket and the hype it gets.

So a movie on women's hockey is bound to fail. right? But no..Chak de is a brilliant masterpiece and a great tribute to the game of Hockey, in particular a great tribute to women in sport. To be frank I never quite knew that an Indian Women's Hockey team even existed. But after watching the movie my interest in the sport has somehow rekindled. After doing a bit of research on the net, I found that the Indian Women's National Hockey team qualified 5 times for the World Cup, won the Gold in the Commonwealth games 2002, 2004 Asia Cup title, and the silver in the Commonwealth Games in 2006 against Australia without three of their star players in the squad.

So what makes Chak de.. special. Firstly it's a no-nonsense movie. The movie is purely about the spirit of the game-it begins and ends there. Shah Rukh with a stubble has looked amazing as Kabir Khan, the passion that oozes out of him is contagious and remains with you a long time after the movie has ended. No lengthy dialogues for him, no romantic angles, no songs, no running around trees chasing girls. Just a plain and simple movie about the love a man shares for his country, his people, and the only thing he knows to do-play hockey. Shimit Amin's direction is also amazing. After Ab Tak 56 a lot was expected of him and he has delivered with a bang. The screenplay is great, but the best part of the movie is the background score. Having no songs in the movie actually proved to be a breather, since the background score kept with the pace of the movie and helped take the story forward. Songs would only have done otherwise.

A lot went into making the movie. And the toughest part was finding the right girls to both act and play hockey. After a lot of screen tests 16 of them were selected from all over the country. The girls are definitely not big actors, but have done a remarkable job in both acting and playing hockey. The attitude of the management, the girl fights, the senior players acting smart are all very realistic depictions and this is what makes Chak de.. special. Even Shah Rukh's 'Sattar Minute' is not a lengthy and boring speech about how the team should go and kick some butt..it is about how the next seventy minutes are their own and not even God can take it away from them. It is about how they should play and give their best and the rewards will follow. It is about the way the game has to be played-not as individuals but as a team unselfishly and not for laurels.

So all in all..Chak de India is a great movie..a must see..and couldn't have come at a better time..on the eve of the 61st Indian Independence..a time when India is booming with economic growth..Indians are among the richest in the World..Indian culture and food is recognized worldwide..Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty have become household names..a time when India is no longer a third World country, but one of the fastest growing economies in the World. It is also a great tribute to the spirit of womanhood with India celebrating it's first woman President this year. I guess it is the only right thing to say..Chak De India.

Posted by Anuj at August 11, 2007 07:02 PM

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Mmore about Chak Da India

Chak De India is a film which uses field hockey in India and the Indian women's national field hockey team as metaphors to explore larger themes relating to sexism, ethnic and regional prejudice, and religious prejudice under the larger umbrella of Indian nationalism. It also refers to the legacy of partition. As noted by the Times of India, the central task of the team's coach is to win the fictional competition, The World Championship, which is:

an impossible feat. Because, in the first place, there is no team, just a bunch of girls who have come together with a baggage of class, region and interpersonal rivalries. The small town girls hate the uber snobs; the city-slickers think Chhattisgarh is a jungle, the seniors can't handle the juniors stealing the limelight and petty camps create a virtual gang-war which even builds into a mutiny against the disciplinarian coach. The only thing that brings them together is gender bias—something they all have faced.[5]

The film opens with the final minutes of the Hockey World Cup between the Pakistan men's national field hockey team and the India men's national field hockey team, with Pakistan leading, 1-0. When Indian team captain and hockey superstar, Kabir Khan (Shahrukh Khan) is fouled, he elects to take the penalty stroke himself. However, his strike flies just above the goal, and India suffers a crushing defeat. Soon after, the media begins to circulate a photograph of him accepting a handshake from the head of the Pakistani team, speculating that Khan (who is a Muslim) might have "thrown" the game as an act of sympathy towards Pakistan. The speculation and prejudice exhibited towards Khan forces him and his mother out of their ancestral home and into exile.

Seven years later, Indian sport officials are surprised to learn that Khan wants to coach the Indian woman's field hockey team, a job no one else wants (as, an official indicates, the only long term role for women is to "cook and clean"). Although the Indian team consists of 16 women, none fulfill the role of protagonist.[6] Instead, the film focuses on several subplots regarding the tension and friction which develops surrounding gender, region, and ethnicity among the players and their families: Komal Chautala (Chitrashi Rawat) from a village in Haryana conflicts with Preeti Sabarwal (Sagarika Ghatge) from Chandigarh whom she refers to as "memsaab"; tough girl Balbir Kaur (Tanya Abrol) from the Punjab has an extremely short temper and frequently loses it, especially during games, which causes the team to play one woman short. She also bullies Rani Dispotta (Seema Azmi) and Soimoi Kerketa (Nisha Nair), both from jungle villages in Jharkhand; and Mary Lalte (Kimi Laldawla) from Mizoram and Molly Zimik (Masochon "Chon Chon" Zimik) from Manipur (in North-East India) are both treated as "foreign" by virtually everyone they meet. In addition, the players must also contend with sexism not only from strangers but from family members as well: Mary and Molly face repeated sexual harassment; Komal's parents worry that her interest in hockey will destroy all hope of a good marriage; team captain Vidya Sharma (Vidya Malvade) is forced to choose between hockey and the wishes of her husband's family; and Preeti's boyfriend, the (fictional) vice captain of the India national cricket team, Abimanyu Singh (Vivan Bhatena), mocks her involvement with the team, telling her that her only important role is being his wife.

Sensitive to issues of prejudice, Khan chastises players who introduce themselves by state and praises those who instead identify themselves with their country, India. His message is clear: if the girls want to play, they must sacrifice existing prejudices and alliances to state in lieu of commitment to their team and country. Thus during the first few days, he benches a number of players who refuse to conform to his rules, including the most experienced player, Bindia Naik (Shilpa Shukla). During this time, Khan starts to get along well with Vidya (Vidya Malvade). Bindia repeatedly attempts to encourage the players to revolt against Khan. She even gets the team to pressure Vidya who was very hesitant to revolt against the coach. Bindia finally succeeds and in anger, Khan resigns. Khan also explains to the team that he dedicated his entire lifetime playing hockey for India only to be forced out of the team which leaves the girls feeling guilty. The nexy day, as a sign of good will, however, he invites the staff and team to a going away lunch at McDonald's.

The lunch begins with the girls feeling guilty of their treatment towards Khan and they are constantly thinking about what they did. However, when some neighboring boys make a pass at Mary and Molly. In response, Balbir attacks the boys, an act which encourages the other girls to do so as well. It is the first instance of the girls working together as a team. Khan recognizes this and repeatedly prevents the staff from intervening. His only action is to intervene when a man attempts to strike one of the women with a cricket bat from behind. Khan tells the young man, "hamare hockey me chhakke nahi hote" (or "there are no sixers in hockey"; "sixer" is a slang term which could translate as "wuss" or "coward"). It is a turning point for the team and in shame the girls beg Khan to stay as their coach. The girls have now bonded as a group, learning to overcome their previous differences. Under the able and determined coach, the team begins to practise again, but this time with new vigor.

The team's preparation receives a temporary setback, however, when hockey officials suddenly decide not to send the women's team to Australia for The World Championship. Rather than concede to what he deems an unjust request, Khan demands a challenge match against men's national team. If his team wins, Khan argues, they get to go to The World Championship. The officials agree, albeit reluctantly. Although the girls play a hard game during this challenge match, they ultimately lose 2-3 to the men's team. Their vigor and spirit proved so inspirational, however, that the men's team, in appreciation, raise their hockey sticks as a salute to them (an act which was reciprocated). Thus, despite their loss, the officials agree to send the women's team to Australia.

As the games begin, India loses its first match 0-7 against the host team from Australia. During this match, Bindiya Naik's behavior, which Khan felt was destructive to the team, leads Khan to bench her. As the games progress, the team grows to work as a single unit, eventually leading the girls to victory against England's team, New Zealand's team and South Africa's team. Despite the move towards unity, the two forwards, Komal and Preeti, are still not on talking terms with each other and refuse to pass ball to each other. Despite this, the team manages to win matches due to individual performances and Vidya's fantastic goal-saving ability.

Against the aggressive Argentinian team, Aliya Bose (Anaitha Nair) and Soimoi are injured. Khan finally grants Balbir permission to display her natural aggression and in doing so, India wins and joins the semi-finals against South Korea's team. This team, which is known for its use of the man-to-man marking technique, worries Khan. In response, he asks Bindiya to rejoin the team, telling her that she is the only one experienced enough to overcome this strategy. Bindiya, agrees and penetrates the strong Korean defense repeatedly with the help of another experienced player, Gunjun Lakhani (Shubhi Mehta), eventually scoring a lone goal. Having won the semi-final, India once again faces Australia in the final. The night before the final match, Khan forces Komal and Preeti to meet and resolve their differences. He tells them that it is their duty to play for team and not for their own individual interests. Although they agree, Preeti warns Komal privately that she will make the most goal scores as she has something to prove to a certain man (who is none other than her boyfriend Abhimanyu).

The next day, before the match Khan advises his team to just play their best hockey for the next 70 minutes (the duration of match). As soon as match starts, India scores. In the second half, the Australians attack with more intensity, which results in two goals. As India is on the verge of losing the match, a superb move from defenders and the decision of Komal and Preeti to finally work together allows the team to even the score at the dying moments of the game. The match is tied 2-2. As no team is able to score in extra time, the result would be decided by a penalty shootout.India begins with a poor start as Nethra Reddy and Aliya Bose miss their goals. Australia, however, converts their chances and the score is 2-0. However, in the next two strokes, Komal and Mary score and Vidya makes two saves. The score is now 2-2. Bindiya Naik also scores for India. When Vidya saves the final stroke, India become the World Champions.

This unexpected and thrilling victory leads the restoration of Khan’s good name. It also destroys the prejudices which once separated the girls and proves to their families and country the merit of women's athletics.


Posted by: sohan Ali at November 20, 2008 02:29 AM

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