Chak De! India - Some Thoughts

Chak De! India - Some Thoughts

Posted by aksfilmi on September 16th, 2007

Chak De! India - Some Thoughts

By: Utpal Borpujari

I know I am pretty late in catching up with this film, but I finally watched Chak De! India A lot have been written about it on passionforcinema and elsewhere, but still I would add my two bits here, particularly as I think it’s rare to get a film coming from the mainstream framework to have so much layering that is done commendably well. So here goes my take, point by point:

1. Though SRK has said in an interview that he acted just exactly as he does in any other movie, I think Swades and Chak De are the only two films where he chose to go into the character, rising above the Rahul/Raj image. Particularly in the scene towards the end of the movie when it slowly sinks into Kabir Khan that his girls have done it and the ghost chasing him all the years has been exorcised, SRK is great. That’s the Shah Rukh Khan we would love to see more – the actor who is a star, not the star who is an actor.

2. The real star of the movie is neither SRK nor the 16 girls. It is Jaideep Sahni, who wrote the brilliant script that to a great extent played to the gallery yet made a number of telling observations. So, for those who just want to watch a film for its entertainment value, it has got all the elements of the drama and emotion, and for those who want to go beyond there is much more.

3. A Muslim who is accused of being traitor is not a new thing in Indian cinema in recent years, but CDI does it with great sensitivity without the lecturing that quite a films have fallen victim to (an exception was the character played by Mukesh Rishi in Sarfarosh).

4. Each player in the hockey team actually reflects Sahni’s own concerns regarding how particularly in northern India – in places like Delhi where I live – communities from other parts of India have to face a lot of prejudices every day of their lives (Sahni explained this to me during a recent interview / conversation). So, if the girl from Andhra Pradesh is told that for a Delhiite, Tamil and Telugu are the same (to which she retorts that they are as same as a Punjabi is to a Bihari), the girls from the North-East are welcomed as guests, to which the Manipuri girl retorts ‘how can one be happy at being treated as ‘mehmaan’ in one’s own country?’ These and other examples of prejudices and general ignorance amongst us about our own country is one aspect that is brought home without any sermonizing, which makes it great.

5. CDI, like any other sports movie, is all about underdogs going on to win against all odds against far superior rivals (examples – Lagaan, Hip Hip Hurray, Jo Jita Wohi Sikandar, Chariots of Fire, Million Dollar Baby…..). But rising above the basic theme, the script also filters in the issue of women’s status in the Indian society – whether in the middle class or the upper class.

6. The cricket versus other sports debate was, of course, the obvious one, and we get to see stories on this every other day in the media, particularly when there is a story of a sportsperson fallen into bad times. Women’s hockey is even worse when it comes to facilities. This is telling told in the film, thanks to Sahni’s script.

7. The politics within sports teams and the non-sporting games played by sports association bosses who have nothing to do with sports was another aspect dealt with quite beautifully, again without sermonizing. KPS Gill, the Indian Hockey Federation chief, should be compulsorily made to watch this film with his cronies in IHF.

8. The finale was definitely fairytale ending keeping in mind commercial considerations. In a film like this, obviously it cannot end on a sad note after defining all the odds each character is placed against, including Kabir Khan who sees in this the only opportunity to exorcise the label of traitor.

9. There will be many more aspects that would come out with a finer reading of the film – and this is just one done in a hurry – but the one of the most important aspect about CDI is that Yash Raj Films came forward to produce it despite it not having chiffon-clad heroines, songs shot in the Swiss Alps and a clash of families. After producing films like Kabul Express and distributing Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara, CDI is a clear sign that traditional filmmaking houses like YRF are changing, or maybe being forced to change by an audience which is changing. If that is happening, it can only mean good things for Hindi cinema. Keeping my fingers crossed!

10. And yes – the day I watched the film, was the day when Jhulan Goswami of India was announced as the Women Cricketer of the Year by the ICC. No male cricketer from India got anywhere near the awards.