Chak de India: Intelligent Effort!
It is a commercial film…albeit an intelligent one. And it tries to be a very women–centered film with its usual gags of men vs women, writes Anamika Bhatnagar
A still from Chak De India
It was after quite some time that I went kind of crazy with the crowd (mainly girls) - shouting, bellowing and whistling throughout the film and no…the shouting was not during the jeered arguments (oh yes! The film has many of them) of men vs women…they were all during the games…and it did not come due to being an Indian…it came for the sheer thrill that the game gave me…it was scintillating to watch the girls play….pure fun!
Watching such a “nationalistic” film out of India (I live currently in London) it made me realise how attached the diaspora is to even a most overwrought analogy of the sense of being an Indian. Surprisingly, the loudest claps were during the scene when SRK comments that it feels great to see a gora raise our tiranga. And the second loudest number of claps were from girls during the scene when the group of ruffians were beaten up by the women’s hockey team. And these were precisely two weak points of the film…
Chak de! is an intelligent effort from Shimit Amin (Ab Tak Chappan director) who mixes a very relevant issue (neglect of the hockey sports) with a commercial narrative to sell his story…what surprises me is that the story is not selling well…I expected the film to be a runaway hit…but it is not…in fact, it has got just average earning in the UK and USA and that is alarming…because Chak de! is a clever effort in a long time to question some strongly held notions (albeit subtly) like the alienation of the North East, divide between the North and South of India, politics between players and association wallahs - and the success of this film would have suggested a certain maturing of our NRI audience. But sadly, the other side is the true story…the film draws claps in the most wrong places.
Some parts of the film are absolutely electrifying like the hockey game sequences….it almost makes you feel like playing the game, introduction of the girls (when they are arriving at the training camp)…it is bizzarely funny. Of course, there are stereotypes within this group of girls like the Punjab da puttar – Balbir Kaur, Haryana’s spunky Komal Chautala and the ultra-suave Aliya Bose but throughout the film, writer Jaideep Sahni gives flesh and blood to these characters…they feel hurt, they hurt each other and develop team spirit…it is the subtle nuances of these characters that made me overlook the ghastly stereotypisation. Bindia Naik (as the senior and manipulative player) is a delight to watch…tremendous restraint in her acting and and she is so believable.
And finally…Shah Rukh! He shows tremendous restraint in some parts of the film and took me completely by surprise. I am not an avid SRK fan and often get turned off by his overacting and hamming and this was my first SRK film in a decade in a cinema hall…he was very gritty and spunky in some of the scenes when he is punishing the girls or egging them on to play hard. But there is the usual melodrama as well…where you want to turn your face away!
But..all in all…the film is intelligent and spunky and there is something for everyone in this film. It is a commercial film…albeit an intelligent one. And it tries to be a very women – centered film with its usual gags of men vs women (that are not articulated intelligently) but I would still say it was pure fun and I cam back with a sense of satisfaction.
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(8 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)
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Hi Anamika, to your surprise the film is doing quite well. I couldn’t get a ticket last week. All sunday shows were sold out. Finally watched it last night .
Bollywood has really come of age. Something other that all the “virtues” of the movie, I also admire the nuances of the relationship between the authoritative coach and individual players. You remember, how Shahrukh turns his head when Preeti looks at him after posting her first goal.
Quite thought provoking actually, I know characters may look like stereotypes, however they’re likable. I think also quite a bit of research has gone into the composition of the team.
An exciting film, have much more to say but have to leave for office…
Yes…that’s true…the film has picked up through word of mouth after a week of its release but it was not a sold out show in its first weekend outside India. It is doing fairly well now outside of India as well but is not a blockbuster.
And yes, I’ll agree…even though the characters are kind of stereotypes…they are thoroughly enjoyable.
Yes SRK’s restraint is admirable except namely one exception that speech before the men-women match.
I think it’s his one of the best movies.
Don’t you think it also sometimes intelligently and at times rather simplistically takes up women’s issues. The one I found off putting was the cricket vice captain boy friend!! the entire sequence with the boyfriend looks fake somehow, rather forced!!! except the entry…