Aug 19, 2007 11:35 PM
5268 Views
(Updated Aug 20, 2007 04:58 AM)
Chak De! India - First and foremost must say that this movie is a must watch - for every Indian, for every person and for every woman! A big thanks to Shimit Amin, Jaideep Sahni, Yash Raj, Salim-Sulaiman, Shah Rukh Khan and all the 16 girls in this movie(I must acknowledge all of them. Preeti Sabarwal: Sagarika Ghatge, Komal Chautala: Chitrashi Rawat, Bindia Naik: Shilpa Shukla, Vidya Sharma: Vidya Malvade, Balbir Kaur: Tanya Abrol, Aliya Bose: Anaitha Nair, Gunjan Lakhani: Shubhi Mehta, Rani Dispotta: Seema Azmi, Soimoi Kerketa: Nisha Nair, Nethra Reddy: Sandia Furtado, Gul Iqbal: Arya Menon, Molly Zimik: Masochon V. Zimik, Mary Ralte: Kimi Laldawla, Rachna Prasad: Kimberly Miranda, Nichola Sequeira: Nichola Sequeira, Raynia Fernandes: Raynia Mascarenhas) - for this tremendous team effort. And for this reality check for us. Thanks again Chak De…
CDI to me turned out to be an emotional journey – so much so that when it ended I felt it with my heart – “Couldn’t it have continued for some more time?”
*The Story
In a line probably I could say Chak De is the story of a man who returns to his homeland against all odds – and it takes him one world conquest to make his own people believe that his hard-work, his efforts have always been for the tricolor he has looked up to with respect…** Inspired by the real life story of Mir Ranjan Negi, perhaps Chak De is a very predictable movie! But that’s what makes it beautiful – it’s the determination and grit of the people in this movie that makes it stand way out of the normal. Kabir Khan(Shah Rukh Khan), the captain and Asia’s best Center Forward misses the penalty stroke that could have saved his country a loss to its arch rivals Pakistan in the World Men’s Hockey Championship by a whisker. He is stamped a “gaddar” after the match and his reactions to the allegations only fuel the media’s cause in slaughtering the “scapegoat”. He loses his home and his self-respect to the emotions of his countrymen… But he returns from his ignominy after seven long years and goes through the same rigorous schedule to bring home the World Cup – for the Indian National Women’s Hockey Team.
*Reality Check
*Chak De India lands us face-to-face with many an unpleasant question –
1. It takes a dig at the media which has somewhere, in a bid to cater to our intellectual needs has finally ended up killing the golden duck! Today it has come down to just sell its stories, and sell it especially with an aim of tickling at our emotional weaknesses. A simple example of true sportsmanship is sold to the public to find a quick respite to the pains of losing the World Cup! One man is nailed and nailed wrongly – so what? At least we have a reason now to look beyond our human shortcomings.
2. Perhaps there’s a true portrayal of the hysteric Indian public too. We gulp down every shortcut that makes us feel good; we forget every failure and attribute it to something bad rather than taking up the responsibility to try to correct ourselves. Our national heroes are under tremendous pressure and we too need to stand beside them in their bad times and give them a patient hearing rather than being outright critical…
3. It portrays the hardships sportsmen face in this country. There’s no glamour attached to materialism in Shimit’s depiction and hence the facilities provided(the rooms provided to the girls, the hockey accessories which reach them only after they go to the Final or the Hockey field which is rather proud of showcasing Ramlila…) somehow hold out the true lack of spirit for the game.
*They stole the show
It’s impossible for me to just name a few who made this movie such a huge success! The dialogues are hard-hitting, the songs are beautifully sewn onto the situations, the background score is apt, the editing is smart, the cinematography gives you an on-the-edge feel but what wins over everything is the story-telling! The team sprit which emerges out of the narration, the raw power that drives the characters – these all are sheer delights to feast upon. And yes, Shah Rukh Khan and all his girls – they form the heart and soul of the movie. At no time do they give you the larger-than-life movie feel – you cry in their failures and you laugh with them and you feel yourself part of them! Amongst the girls Bindia Naik, Preeti Sabarwal, Komal Chautala, Vidya Sharma and Balbir Kaur definitely need the special mention for the commendable job they have done as new-comers. **Bindia is the best with her touch of ego and complacency. Preeti is the face of the determined Indian woman who dreams of making it big and learns to live her dreams when she faces the realities of life! Komal is the tomboy whose Harianvi accent and especially her facial expressions convey it all. Vidya, as the captain with the team spirit and guts is inspiring and Balbir is the absolute treat! Her transformation and especially the way she portrays both her halves is excellent! And that leaves us with the one and only Kabir Khan! I always felt he was Shah Rukh Khan in this movie – his trademark smirks, his facial expressions, his intelligent eyes and his determined self – only that the script didn’t require him to over-do any of them or add melodrama to them to make them sell for his director. A very matured and honest performance from him and I seriously believe this is incomparable to any of his previous. It stands its own ground and brings back the faith of true blue cine-lovers on the King Khan…
*Treat yourselves
*Some of the scenes in this movie are masterstrokes and you shouldn’t just miss out on such grand executions –
- Kabir Khan leaves his home with his mother – he doesn’t shy away from looking back coz he knows he will come back.
2. Introduction of the girls at the Hockey Camp and especially introduction of Preeti and Vidya.
3. Where Kabir says that if he becomes the enemy in a bid to get the team together, then it’s worth it!
4. The Mc Donald’s brawl. It’s the one reason I found myself absolutely partying to. That was amazing revenge girls!
5. The Men-Women’s Hockey Match and especially the end of it.
6. The Bindya-Kabir confrontations
7. The entire World Cup tour and the final moments when Kabir goes weak in his knees.
8. When Komal shouts out to Preeti "Preeti, Ja Dikha De Us Launde Ko."
9. Kabir’s home-coming…
- Dialogues are "two thumbs up":)
Chak De! India stands out as a movie. For it’s blending of commercialism and true cinema. It is inspiring keeping as close as possible to life. Its portrayal is human too. It’s a rare kind which entertains you and yet opens up the real world to you. It’s **no more escaping the harshness of life through song-dance-superhero; it’s the coming home to reality through inspiration, perspiration and fortitude…
Kabir Khan . Please come back as the Coach of the Women's Team for the next World Hockey Championship.*
