I went to see Chak De! India recently and was actually quiet impressed. No, not by the any amazing new concept that the film-makers have incorporated. Rather by the lack of it. A thoroughly enjoyable movie from start to finish. The game-sequences are exceptionally well-executed (by Bollywood standards!).
The film doesn’t break any new totally unchartered grounds. Sports movies have a very orthodox and expectable story-line that can be summarized as follows: <huge failure>, <no hope>, <sudden, small hope>, <huge odds against> and finally <amazing, spectacular win against all odds>. So when you go to watch the movie you already have a pretty good idea about how the movie is going to unfold.
What sets the truly great sports movies apart are the differences in their execution and they way they tackle various issues that aren’t directly related to the sport. In a country like India, sports is always indirectly (or directly) related with harrowing social issues. The list of such issues that Chak De! tries to tackle is long. The issues include feminism, patriotism, unity-in-diversity and hockey. The movie, about a bunch of female rag-tag hockey players playing for the national team, manages to tackle, captivate and hold the audience’s attention on the said issues. This movie might also bring back some national interest into hockey (which incidentally is the national game of India) from the religious reverance that cricket enjoys. The recent Nehru Cup win of the Indian football team also deserves mention.
The scene at McDonald’s was really classic and enjoyable. A strong message for eve-teasers. The cinematography was excellent. The climax superb. But what really impressed me was Shah Rukh Khan’s performance. I am not a really huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan but his performance in Chak De is more than commendable, pulling off an underplayed and reserved performance with no hint of his usual over-acting. Here’s to hoping that more such movies are churned out from Bollywood regularly…
