Movie Review: Chak De India

Saw the movie late last night in a nearby theatre. This is the third good Hindi movie I recall seeing in cinemas this year, the other two being Guru and the delightfully and devilishly witty Bheja Fry.

The movie is very tightly made, though it has two clear themes. The first is an exploration of the divides that still afflict Indian society. There is little new that the film has to say about the topic. Still, some of the words spoken by the characters bring forth the sad reality that some Indians do have to experience. The 'Muslim' captain of the Indian hockey team misses a penalty stroke against Pakistan, and is hounded out of the team and his locality on charges of being a traitor to the country. Years later, a former colleague tells him, "Ek galti to sabko maaf hai!" He replies, "Sabko?" I venture my opinion on any and every topic without the thought of aspersions being cast on my motives. Not all Muslims in India are accorded this basic courtesy (I have observed this discrimination very infrequently in the liberal groups I have associated with, and fear that the case in the larger Indian society might be worse).

Another line that struck me was spoken by a girl from a Northeastern state. She is about to register for the national hockey team, when the registrar, with completely good intentions, mentions, "Hum aap ka mehmano ki tarah swagat karege." With a disappointed look, she sighs,"Apne hi ghar mein mehman ban na kisko pasand hai?" (All the 'quotations' from the movie are based on my recollections - they may not be exact). The treatment accorded to the denizens of the Seven Sisters is step-sisterly, unfortunately :(

The second theme is the focus on the building of a successful sporting unit from a bunch of talented but indisciplined girls. Here too, the film follows the beaten track of players from disparate backgrounds coming together and beating the odds. But it is still very good entertainment.

The characters are really good. I especially liked the tomboy from Haryana, whose crude lines are hilarious. "Mere bapu ko bhediye ne kaata hai?!" The other forward, the modern city girl from Chandigarh, is quite good-looking :) Almost all the characters have been portrayed quite well, and seem to possess the stuff that champions are made of.

Definitely worth a watch!