Three cheers for Chak De India.

I have not been a great admirer of Shah Rukh Khan, nor do I consider him a great actor. But I have always been the kind of person who normally watches an SRK movie during the first week itself. Mostly because they would be directed by one of the top notch directors in Bollywood (Karan Johar, Farhan Akhtar, Aziz Mirza to name a few) and they will have him paired opposite one(some) of the best and the most glamourous actresses in Bollywood (Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Kajol, the list goes on). However, Chak De India did not really figure in my list of most anticipated movies before its release. First, it was a Yash Raj Production (Their last few releases have not appealed to me at all- Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Dhoom: 2, Neel n Nikki, Salaam Namaste, Kabul Express, Ta Ra Rum Pum, Fanaa); Second, it was directed by Shimit Amin (one time assistant to Ram Gopal Varma who made his debut as a director with Ab Tak Chhappan, which according to me was no great guns) and third and most important, it did not have a commercial Bollywood heroine. Instead it had 16 actresses, all of them unconventional, but prima facie unattractive. The movie finally did release on 10 August 2007 and the fanfare normally associated with an SRK movie was largely missing. But, a week unto its release and all of a sudden, everyone was talking "Chak De". SRK and his girls were here, there and everywhere, everybody from Rahul Dravid to Shobhaa De were commenting on how inspiring the film was. To add to all this, the film was supposedly running to packed houses even during its 4th week in Kochi. (Normally Hindi films are out in a week from theatres, unless they are exceptionally good). This was more temptation than enough for me to catch up with the movie and there I was at the theatre at noon, all set to watch SRK and his girls. Needless to say, I was really bowled over by the movie. As it is known to all by now, Chak De India is all about Kabir Khan (SRK), the once upon a time captain of the National Hockey team who has to make a disgraceful exit following a no show at a game opposite Pakistan and amongst allegations of match fixing and conspiring against the National team. 7 years later, he re surfaces as the Coach of the National Women's Hockey team- a job that has no takers. The job is definitely not a bed of roses for the coach- 16 girls from different parts of the country- some raw and untamed, some naive and conscious and yet others experienced and haughty. To add to his vows is the completely hostile attitude of the National Hockey Association- it knows nothing of the game, it has no faith on either the team or the coach, nor has it any sponsors or adequate funds to send the girls to the World Cup. Being the high spirited, uncompromising and patriotic sportsman that he is, Kabir Khan manages to evoke in the girls a spirit of oneness, a confidence in them as a team and a passion to excel and achieve the unattainable- all step by step. He manages to convince the association to send the girls to the World Cup and the movie ends predicatably with the team winning the World Cup! There definitely is something about this underdogs playing a sport meets patriotism kind of movies (Lagaan is a good reference point) and this plot is clearly what sets Chak De India apart. A hurt sportsman's attempt to regain lost ground and his unfailing passion towards his game has been effectively portrayed by Shimit Amin in the movie. The coaching scenes, the meetings of the association, the match between the men's and women's teams, the scuffle between the girls and the men at the restaurant and the final matches in Australia have been very well shot. Jaideep Sahni's script is tight and effective; his dialogues are witty and sparkling (The Hindi voice over in Australia that sounds like a commentary is mediocre). Music by Salim- Sulaiman definitely takes a back seat, but then this was not meant to be another Yash Raj Musical anyways. Photography is classic, editing is crisp and art and sound are authentic. Chak De gets a thumps up for having come up with such a brilliant casting- the girls are real, unconventional and natural, their performances lending credibility to the narrative. [Some of them are attractive too ;)] The real hero of the film, however, is Shah Rukh Khan. The superstar is in fine form and takes to the role of the coach like a fish to water. The last time I liked a movie for SRK was Yes Boss (1997). 10 years later, SRK comes up with a stunning performance without even a single instance of hamming! SRK simply rocks :) Chak De India literally takes you to the stadium and evokes wolf whistles. This is a film that needs to be watched in a movie hall with the entire family!