‘Chak de! India’

All about women empowerment, a dying sport and a determination to win...

'Chak De! India’ has indeed superseded everyone’s expectations. I watched this movie last Friday...and I was awestruck. The adrenalin pumping film had no dull moment...no boring scene...it seemed as if everything was happening right before my eyes...everything seemed real.


The film has brought the spotlight back on a dying sport...which is ironically our national sport. Without any skin show or mushy romance, the film grips you like a fairy tale, like a dream...but with a lot of substance.

The film, whose title literally translates into ‘Buck up India’, is loosely based on Mir Ranjan Negi’s life. Negi, the Indian goalkeeper, was held responsible for the humiliating 7-1 loss to arch rival Pakistan in the 1982 Asian Games final. Accused of treachery, he vanished from the hockey scene for almost a decade and a half. He returned as a goalkeeping coach and helped India win 1998 Asian Games gold. And later in 2002, Indian women’s team won the laurels in 2002 Commonwealth Games under his tutelage.

Shah Rukh Khan is simply amazing in the role of coach Kabir Khan, a disgraced man, who has been reluctantly entrusted upon the task of training the Indian women’s team for the world cup...A bunch of 16 spirited young girls who are not without their share of flaws and weaknesses. Needless to say, the team is hardly a team – with no sense of team or sportsman’s spirit. Ego hassles and regionalism reign supreme.

Shah Rukh, former captain of Indian Hockey team, tries to recuperate from the shame and ignominy he has been going through for the past seven years. Branded as traitor and accused of match-fixing (Revealing the story here won’t be nice idea...isn’t it?) with Pakistan, Khan returns to the field for the love of the game and (may be) to reclaim his lost glory.

Now, binding together all the team mates with a common goal seems to be a Herculean task for the coach. The girls, who hail from different states and diverse backgrounds, have little sense of companionship. And it’s a treat to watch Shah Rukh bringing them together and making them realise their ultimate goal.

And the performances are all marvellous - be it the protagonist, the girls, or the character artists, everyone has done a wonderful job. Anjan Shrivastav appears a replica of a ‘sarkari babu’ in the role of the hockey federation president. And Shah Rukh’s assistant ‘Krishna Ji’ is also worth mentioning.

But the lifeline of the film is the 16 girls...their daily bickering...their transformation into a team which later works towards a common goal...but the infightings continue till the last moment.


The women fight gender bias while Shah Rukh has to combat the ‘babudom’ plaguing Indian sports.

The team gets a new lease of life and a fresh bout of confidence when the Indian Men’s team raises their hockey sticks as a symbol of acknowledgement and respect for the women’s team...I love that scene. I want to write more but have to stop here...I fear I’ll reveal the story, which I don’t want.

Go and watch the movie...or watch it at home...but please do watch it. It’ll fill you with patriotism...it will fill you with that indomitable spirit that is required to attain the unattainable.