Chak De! India (2007)

English translation: Go India!
Director: Shimit Amin
Story: Jaideep Sahni
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade, Shilpa Shukla, Sagarika Ghatge
Music: Salim-Sulaiman
Time: 153 minutes
Bottom-line: In most aspects, as good as Lagaan

Perhaps Shah Rukh Khan’s finest film till date, and one of the most patriotic films after Lagaan (2001), Shimit Amin’s Chak De! India proves to be a compelling family entertainer, and a superbly made sports film. First, a special word of praise for the crew responsible for the script and direction, for making a film about hockey, a sport that is only remotely familiar among the people when compared to cricket. The film talks about how a man coaches the Indian Women’s Hockey Team and attempts to take them to the World Cup.

World Cup Final, India versus Pakistan; Pakistan lead 1:0. One minute from the close of the match, India gets a penalty shoot. Captain Kabir Khan (SRK) takes it, misses, India lose. Seeing Khan shake hands with the Pakistani captain after the match, reporters immediately spread a rumour that Khan is a traitor, and following this, he is forced to leave his home. Seven years later, Khan is appointed as the coach of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team. He drills the team rigorously, and his strict attitude is not welcomed by the team, and soon they rebel against him. The rest of the film is about whether the team get on with Khan’s training methods, and whether or not he is able to make them win the World Cup.

Shah Rukh Khan as the coach, Kabir Khan

The main theme is India’s national game, hockey (which is what makes the film “patriotic” in the first place), but many other issues are also dealt with along with the main storyline. From the first scene where Kabir Khan coaches the team, making them acknowledge that they play for India and not for their respective states, till the last scene, we see how he induces the team spirit in all the players, and unites them despite their own regional prejudices. In the beginning, the theme of India-Pakistan rivalry is also portrayed: reporters frame Khan as a national traitor, and the fact that he supposedly helped Pakistan induces more anger among the people. Few scenes also deal with the gender discrimination that prevails in India, where men are considered superior and women are considered inferior. When the girls play against the men’s team, Khan advises them, saying, “Don’t think you are playing against men; think as though you are playing against all the idiots in the country who think women cannot do anything”.

The "Chak De!" team

I feel that this is Shah Rukh’s magnum opus in terms of acting – he really put all his effort to make his performance flawless. During the film you don’t see him as the actor, but as though he is a real coach; he displays all emotions and speaks all his dialogues in such a way. If you look at his role from the girls’ point of view you sort of hate him for being a martinet. But of course, in the end you (and the team members) realise that his “tyranny” (as they thought so initially) actually helped them to unite. This is also one of the rare films (if not only one) where SRK is comparatively passive but the other lead actors do most of the stuff. SRK later won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the film, though the other favourite was Darsheel Safary, for his role in Tare Zameen Par. All the members of the hockey team have given good performances as well, especially Shilpa Shukla (who plays Bindia Naik, the senior-most player), Chitrashi Rawat (who plays Komal) and Sagarika Ghatge (who plays Preeti). Before shooting, all the newly chosen actors had to go through a strict diet and proper hockey coaching so that the way they played hockey looked authentic. On the other hand, those who were already players had to learn to act well!!

The photography was amazing. The way the hockey matches were shot, and the way the camera captured the emotions of the players was perfect. Be it the message of teamwork and unity, class acting, good music and some delightful display of hockey, Chak De! India provides everything within 153 minutes. The story is taut (with no unnecessary melodrama), and SRK is at his very best in acting. A first-rate family movie... don’t miss it!

My Rating: 5/5