Take a bow...King Khan!. Review on Chak De India

Firstly, let me share a thought with the people who will be reading this review. I wasn't expecting the latest flick from the reputed Yash Raj banner - "Chak de India" to get a good box-office opening. The main reason for this was that the publicity for this movie has been very low-key.

Secondly, SRK had not really been accepted well in serious meaningful movies like "Swades" and "Dil se" earlier (though the respective movies and Srk's performances in them had been appreciated, they didn't do very well commercially). Thirdly, it was risky for the "baadshah" of the hindi film industry to act in a movie which didn't have him romancing anyone.

Ofcourse, I have tremendous faith in SRK and the Yash Raj banner but somehow, I thought it wouldn't work out this time, mainly because the last three movies produced by the YRF banner stood at the following positions :- Kabul Express - Flop (deserved to be an average), Tara rum pum - Above average (deserved to be a hit) and Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom - disaster (didn't deserve to be released!).

I was proved wrong. Let me give you a vague idea of the scene in the hall where I watched the first day first show of CDI. People clapped...some others danced. Ok! So? What's so new about it? It happens during each and every SRK release. It got a standing ovation this time and it deserved it. This should be the scene in every hall. All thanks to CDI, patriotism has a new meaning now.

CDI is about Kabir Khan (the one and only SRK) who is an Indian hockey player. It is because of him that the country loses the hockey world cup with Pakistan. He is seen embracing a player from the winning team and is then accused of match fixing.

He is termed "gaddaar" by the people living in his colony and also by the people of India. 7 years later, he comes back to coach the Indian women hockey team which stands nowhere. Hence, the story unfolds. How Kabir Khan coaches the team so that they win the world cup and how he gets respect from the people of India back forms the crux of this modern-day classic.

Director Shimit Amin (who had earlier directed RGV's Nana Patekar-starrer "Ab tak 56" and received critical acclaim for it) does a fantastic job this time. He presents it so well that even if the plot may be predictable, it doesn't seem so. He makes hockey loook so stylish and also makes a statement regarding the fact that it is our national game and yet, cricket is much more popular here. SRK deserves a national award for his performance in CDI (he deserved it for Ashutosh Gowarikar's  "Swades" too but didn't get it).

Here, he gives us his most respectable performance so far. He really has no competition in the hindi film industry. HE IS THE BEST! The team (Preeti Sabarwal, Komal Chautala, Bindia Naik, Vidya, Balbir Kaur, Aliya Bose, Gunjan Lakhaani, Rani Dispotta, Soimoi, Nethra Reddy, Gul Iqbal, Molly Zimik and Mary Ralte) are all good and get equal footage. However, Preeti, Bindia, Balbir and Komal stand out. The scene where Bindia tries to seduce SRK to regain the position of the team-captain is superb. Another scene which is a treat to watch is the "SATTAR MINUTE" one where SRK asks them to play well before the final match. My favourite scene in the movie is the climax where SRK returns to the colony with his mother. SRK's eyes speak in that scene and it had me broken into tears. The title song is inspirational. The other tracks are not very catchy but you don't have to worry as they don't hamper the narrative. The background score is energetic. Cinematography is world-class.

To conclude, I'll say only one thing - GO FOR IT OR YOU WILL BE MISSING OUT ON A CLASSIC OF A MOVIE!