And so when we find a man or a woman standing for all they believe in and staking their all on one throw of a dice, ready to lose all and risk all on one throw of the dice, ready to stand and be counted for all that they believe in, our hearts shout in unison…. Chak De….
Being Indians, We all are people who hold women in high esteem and worship them as Goddesses - examples could be found in the Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja (which is the most important part of Deepavali) and Saraswati Puja and many other such important rites and rituals. Being Indians, again we all are also responsible for most of the atrocities and discrimination that has become a living curse for the women of India... since Time immemorial and for centuries gone and present, we have respected women in ideals and humiliated them in reality. A woman challenged and insulted 'only' on the basis of her gender, considered incompetent and incapable only on account of her gender, a woman being commented on derisively, only because of her gender is a matter of shame for all of us but do we really care ?….
But When such a woman decides to strike back and take her place of pride, which is hers by right and not by reservation…. All we can feel like saying is.... Chak De…
A man stripped of his honour is a man on a mission…. A man whose integrity has not only been challenged but has been completely shattered is a dangerous man….. A man who has wrongly suffered the ignominy of being branded a ‘Traitor’ is a man to watch out for… A man whose only crime is his religion is a man who can burn an entirenation like a tinderbox ..... A man forced to exit when his only crime was his honesty and integrity is not a man to be forgotten or brushed aside easily ...... they are people who have to be cautiously watched..... for if and when this man returns, the return will be as spectacular as inglorious as the exit…. for this man plays only for his honour and his life … and not for personal glory…..
When we see such a Man fighting for his honour, his nation, his family, for his Truth all we say is … Chak De
And when we find our nation, always been shunted about and been written about in disparaging terms like the commentator in the movie constantly does, and then a team of 11 ragtag girls decides to put up their hands and dare to be counted.. All we can say is ….Chak De ...... Chak De India!
Welcome then to the Indian Women’s Hockey federation, as usual a federation only in name and in reality just a consortium of faded and jaded pompous people with a God-sized ego and a pea-sized talent, preparing for the World Hockey Championship – it's soon obvious that the organizers and the Mandarins of the organization who are supposed to look for excellence and create the best team possible, themselves do not believe that any Indian women Team can ever win such a prestigious tournament and hence are firmly decided that they would not let the Team travel for the Tournament.
Then there is the Team, the Indian Women's Hockey Team which is everything but a Team ... a collection of girls for whom Internal Groupism, State Affiliations, Self-Importance and Personal glory is more important than Victory at the highest level…. A Team where the name India exists only on the apparel and not on the conscience ... A Team which is so much divided against itself that it reminds me of Abraham Lincoln's famous statement 'A house divided against itself' and is reminiscent of the India of the 1920s and 1930s that was enough to divide the nation against itself .... a team where your talent is secondary to your network and your position proportional to the weightage of your contacts....
And …. Then there is the coach, a man out to exorcise his own past, trying to come to terms with his background, his realities, his past, his present and his mission….. A man, trying to exorcise the demons of a momentary lapse of judgment but condemned therafter to a lifelong punishment of being called the traitor, to have people humiliate and insult him and pass snide remarks on him, to speculate whether his religious affiliation was the cause of the loss ....... a man who desperately tries to forget but cannot and who keeps playing with the memento of that great defeat as if rubbing salt into his own wounds ..... who can forget the statement .... "Koshish Kar Raha Hoon, Shayad Ye Medal Golden Ho Jaaye"
In a nut-shell, Chak De India is the story of how these elements that have been lost in oblivion, and which could easily self-destruct join hands in face of a common obstacle and dare to be counted. Chak De India is not a film… it’s an experience worth living…..it’s a classic embodiment of all the living principles of a management school…. Leadership, Teamwork, Motivation, Self-Belief, A Dream that refuses to go away, A Confidence that refuses to be shattered and an Effort that cannot be put away.
Shah Rukh Khan – what do I say about him! I have never been a great fan of his performance, although I never doubted him as an actor but today I need to say this is SRK at his best. The role of a coach, out to prove his loyalty and integrity, the role of a player trying to exorcise his past, the role of a man, called a Traitor and forced to leave his house, his honour, his identity could have become a case for hysterical overacting… but SRK ensures that the dignity of the role is maintained…. Each and every nuance of SRK is just perfect and by the time the film reaches its apogee, all we remember is Kabir Khan, the role and not SRK the actor. The scene where he looks at the words scribbled on his gate and says “Tumko Nahin Dekhna Ho Ammi to Mat Dekho; Main Zaroor Dekhoonga” is a scene worth remembering and a dialogue worthy repeating.
The girls comprising the Team have also put in a great performance… in some cases, the performances of their life….
Shilpa Shukla as the self-important arrogant Bindia Naik delivers a power-packed performance…. It’s not everyday that you find someone who can breathe so much life in her role that you revile her for her antics, hate her for her attitude and still love her for her uncompromising stand… Shilpa is brilliant and brilliant is an understatement.
Chitrashi Rawat as the no-nonsense rural player who lets her stick do all the talking is so impressive that one only wonders at her frame and keeps thinking where does all this fire come comes from… she is a complete natural and I believe will go places in the future
Tanya Abrol is another girl who steals our hearts with her simple yet effective performance… the simple girl from Punjab is so innocent and yet so forceful that you would not dare take up cudgels with her.
Sagarika Ghatge plays the role of a person determined to prove her value to her self-pompous fiancée with panache. Aniatha Nair as Aliya also makes her mark in the little time she gets on-screen. Vidya Malvade is impressive as a woman torn between a family and her dreams. Nisha Nair plays the role of the Jharkhand girl Soimoi to perfection. Arya Menon should have been given a little more space but her innocent looks and screen presence ensures that she is noticed. A special mention needs to be made of Kimberly Miranda, Seema Azmi, Sandia Furtado and Kimi Laldawla. Javed Khan and Anjan Srivastava, as expected, give a well-nuanced brilliant performance. Vibha Chibbar is adequate in her performance.
Shimit Amin again proves that he’s definitely one of the better discoveries of the Hindi Film Industry…. He follows up his previous film ‘Ab Tak Chappan’ with another brilliant piece of film-making. There are many scenes in this film that portray his deftness and understanding of the cinematic language.
Special mention should be made of the introductory scene, the confrontations between Komal and Preeti, the match between the Men’s Hockey Team and the Women’s Hockey Team, which thankfully does not turn into a farce, but remains rooted in the realities of the differences of the two sexes… the confrontation between Bindiya and Kabir and the matches between India and England, India and Argentina and the two matches against Australia.
Equally impressive is the subtle use of the story to show audiences countrywide, the trenchant attitudes that are found entrenched all over the country ... the issues faced by our brothers and sisters from the North-East in their own country .... the implicit threat of being called a traitor that hangs like a sword on the head of every Muslim in this country .. the media that often sensationalizes and distorts simple facts and for it's own purposes, does not desist from destroying careers, reputations and lives ....... the India-Pakistan angle has also been captured in beautiful relief ......
Jaideep Sahni proves yet again that a strong script sans all special effects can still make a brilliant film. The script is taut and memorable. The dialogues all hard-hitting whether it’s the North-East taunting us for always considering them as Nepalis and Chinese and yet asking them to subject themselves to our notions of nationality, the Jharkhand girls being continuously being spoken of, as jungle-people, the rural-urban rift, the senior-junior rift, the minority question all of it so easily depicted so as to make a statement without making a statement. Excellent!
Patriotism also has it's beatiful and non-sensational but strong impact ..... One Dialogue which I shall never forget is the comment made by SRK when he sees an Australian hoisting the Indian flag: “Pehli Baar Kisi Gore Ko Hindustani Tiranga Lehraate Dekha Hai”.
Salim-Suleiman’s music is in sync with the film and the title song by Sukhwinder Singh ably supported by Marianne D’Cruz and Salim himself is a blockbuster.
This is movie to watch, understand and carry home with one’s own self… for this is a film that proves that whatever maybe the difficulties, whatever maybe the challenges, whatever maybe the odds, we do not lose as long as we do not agree to lose. That Loss and Defeat is synonymous with Acceptance of that Defeat - so long as the Man refuses to acept, not even God can force him to accept that he has been defeated .... The only final defeat is the defeat at the hands of Death and that too need not be final for those who dare to stand and be counted
A special mention of the man on whose life this film is supposed to be based: Mir Ranjan Negi – you are a hero, you were a hero and you will always remain a hero for all who have sense to understand what heroism is all about.
So what are we all waiting for… let the party begin…. to the spirit of an India that will come soon, to the dream of an India that will exorcise all it's demons, to the aspirations of an India, where a woman would not be insulted only on the basis of her gender, to the hope of an India, where being a Muslim would not be a crime, to an India where the North-East and the North-West, The East and the West, The North and the South would not be divided against itself, to an India where the urban-rural divide would cease to exist, to an India where Merit would be the sole arbiter … let us all say yet once again….Chak De India…..
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