Its about team spirit...ALL the way!. Review on Chak De India

Anyone who says this movie belongs to "Kabir Khan" aka Shahrukh , or to a gaggle of girls wielding a hockey stick, or to the game of hockey, is missing the very essence of the movie. Chak De India does NOT belong to any one individual or element...it is a movie about team spirit, about coming together for something greater than the individualand THAT is what makes the movie so special...that every element comes together beautifully, and makes the film the great entertainer that it is.

PLOT-

By now everyone must know the story, so I'll just sum it up in a few lines. Former disgraced team India hockey player Kabir Khan (Shahrukh), takes on the arduous task of coaching a motley group of girls from all over India, shaping them into a hockey team fit to take on the best in the world. While the team is handed to him, to shape them into a cohesive unit, to get them to play to their potential, is not an easy task. Not just that, Kabir and the team also have to fight the gender discrimination that affects all women playing team sports in India. Each hurdle is crossed successfully, and the movie comes to its triumphant climax very satisfactorily!

MY TAKE-

Why is it that so many of us are cricket addicts and dont give up on the sport even when Team India plays so shamefully at the World Cup?!!! Why is it that movies based on sport, that are made well (Lagaan, Iqbal, Jo Jeeta...), make unforgettable classics, movies that one wants to watch repeatedly? I think its coz sport captures the best there is in humanity...and you so want to believe in that ideal, make that a part of your own life.

Participation in sports seems to brings out the best qualities a human being has such as resilience, the will to succeed, the courage to fight all odds and emerge triumphant. And where it comes to a team game, the "goodness" quotient is even higher...brings out patriotism, the ability to quell ones own ego and work for the group, the ability to unite with another and fight for a common cause....much like war which is said to bring out the best AND the worst in a human being, except sport does not advocate bloodshed quite as much!

Chak De India encapsulates the best there is to playing a sport, and makes you feel GOOD to be Indian...AND to be a woman.While the team does emerge triumphant in the end, make no mistake they work really hard to get there, and that is shown very realistically in the movie. The tough practice drills they go through, the discrimination they face as individuals, as women, and as a team..life is anything but easy for Kabir Khan's team.

Speaking of Kabir Khan, Shahrukh quite marvellously underplays his character, satisfied by being just the catalyst and NOT the mainstay of the movie. His Kabir Khan is intense, introverted, brooding, and incredibly convincing as a coach with an uphill task on his hands. He has a great cast of non-actresses to work with. Among the team, the characters that are really endearing are that of Komal (Haryanvi pocket size powerhouse) and Balbir Kaur (the girl with an anger control issue). In terms of acting, the girl who plays Bindiya Naik (Shilpa Shukla) has the most complex role and plays it to perfection.

I dont want to emphasize individual performances too much as this movie really isnt about that. Shimit Amin, the director, retains a tight hold on the movie throughout and Jaideep Sahni (scriptwriter) pens a great script to help him do just that. There is many an applause-worthy dialogue weaved into the script, which actually got a hearty applause from the otherwise staid crowd in Bangalore. As an aside, the show I watched had a whole row of Jharkhandi's in the audience, who appeared quite kicked by all the attention their state got, but who cheered just as loudly when the TEAM does well!

Former hockey player Mir Negi does a great job coaching the actors and making the hockey enfolding on screen look realistic (atleast to a hockey novice like me!). The editing of the movie is crisp and the scenes end when they should (except the fight sequence at MacDonalds, which I felt could have been a bit shorter to have maximum impact). Background score is good, as is the title track which plays effectively to further enhance the overall "Rah rah" , headrush feeling the movie gives you.

Dont miss this movie just because you are a Yash Raj or Shahrukh hater. This movie is NOT a candy flossed, fake imitation of life saga that Yashraj movies otherwise are...Chak De India IS the real deal!