Customer Reviews

Chak De! India [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Did you know that, once upon a time, India was a perennial world power in the sport of field hockey? That, from 1928 to 1980, India garnered eight gold medals in the Olympics? So you'd think hockey would have a larger following. Instead, cricket reigns today as India's most popular national pastime, with field hockey skulking somewhere in the back. CHAK DE! INDIA, in its own little way, takes one tiny step to change that.

CHAK DE! INDIA tells the inspiring fictional story of the India women's national hockey team, from the rocky formation of its newest crop of members to its triumphant quest for the World Cup. CHAK DE! INDIA also tells the story of one man's redemption. As the film opens, the Women's Hockey World Cup is three months away, and yet India's team still doesn't have a coach. Not too surprising, as it's a team disparaged by most, even by the Indian hockey's governing body, of which one member scornfully states that Indian women are born to cook and clean. Finally, in steps Kabir Khan, a disgraced former player of the India Men's National Hockey Team who, seven years ago, was accused of throwing a championship game to Pakistan. But now Kabir has come out of seclusion to become the India women's new coach. And he's got something to prove. Hell, the whole team has got something to prove. But, first, Kabir Khan has to turn this combative, mismatched, agenda-steeped bunch into a cohesive unit...

In CHAK DE! INDIA ("Go, India!"or, maybe, "C'mon, India!"), Indian cinema refreshingly does away with its habitually overwrought melodrama and giddy romances. What we get is a simple story, told with impact and with restraint. It's one of the most entertaining and highest grossing Bollywood films of 2007. And why not? CHAK DE! INDIA is a superb underdog sports movie that'll strike a chord. The training sequences and the hockey matches are played out convincingly enough (at least, I didn't feel that the girls were faking it). Although several of the cast are actual hockey players (the actresses who played Komal, Nethra, and Raynia), all the girls attended a few months of rigorous hockey bootcamp. Too, while there are songs here (usually played over a training or game time montage), there aren't any extravagant song and dance numbers. For this movie, that's a good thing.

The cast of mostly unknowns makes it work. The story is peopled with the requisite bunch of misfits and outcasts, hailing from all parts of India (with some parts being decidedly provincial and backwatered). While it's noted that several of the girls are very easy on the eyes, the majority of the women's team aren't from the glam community. This, along with a certain rawness and a spirit in the performances, lends a more realistic feel to the film. Particular standouts are Chitrashi Rawat as the diminutive but oh-so-feisty Komal, Tanya Abrol as the hotheaded Balbir, Shilpa Shukla as the most experienced but very disruptive Bindia, Vidya Malvade as the quiet, newly married goalie and team captain Vidya, and Sagarika Ghage as the beautiful but selfish Preeti, determined to score the most goals (she has something to prove to her famous cricket-playing boyfriend, you see). Chitrashi and Sagarika have two of the strongest story arcs as they play two prolific scorers who refuse to pass to each other.

Shahrukh Khan can really act! Here, he veers away from his patented romantic roles, and really shows what he can do without the crutch of having a Rani or a Preity or a Kajol as love interests. Here, as the tough-minded coach, Shahrukh is tremendous, his acting very much controlled (we all know sometimes he goes overboard with the histrionics). While the girls are very winning, it's Shahrukh who holds everything together. But Shahrukh is generous enough that, in his scenes with them, he allows the girls to shine. Oh, and he develops an interesting scruff on his face.

The story isn't subtle or twisty. CHAK DE! INDIA, steeped in its underdog sports genre, unveils plot devices you see coming from a mile away. And yet it rises above its predictability by virtue of the cast's appeal and the film's understated tone and warmth. It also touches on issues topical to India: regionalism, sexism, religion (Hinduism vs. Islam), dirty sports politics, and hockey languishing in the shadow of cricket. Above all, it touches on the universal themes of patriotism and gender inequality. Yet the patriotism isn't overbearing, and you pull for these girls all the way as they make their mark on their sport.

Here's a long paragraph about the film's Special Features. Disc One has the film and the song selections. Disc Two is jam-full of bonus stuff: "The Making Of" feature (22 minutes long, but not enough focus on the female cast); 2 rousing music videos: "Ek Hockey Doongi Rakhke" and "Kuch Kariye"; the making of the "Ek Hockey Doongi Rakhke" music video; a whopping 34 minutes of deleted scenes (including the girls celebrating to "Dhoom Machale" after the Men's Match, the girls playing the musical game Antakshari, and the India vs. Germany semi-finals match) - these extra sequences actually do flesh out the characters even more; the cast is featured and the film's impact is discussed in a talk show; "Cult of CHAK DE: NDTV" - hang out with three of the actresses (Vidya Malvade, Chitrashi Rawat & Shilpa Shukla )and three members of the India women's hockey team who won the gold medal in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, as they all talk about the film; SRK shares his experience of screening the film with India's President Mrs. Pratibha Patil; the film's UK premiere at the Somerset House; a photo gallery and character bios; and the trailer & film promos. Overall, very worthwhile bonus stuff.

Something now from the When Movies and Real Life Collide department: CHAK DE! INDIA is loosely based on the real life India Women's hockey team who won the gold medal in the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games. Also, Kabir Khan's story bears a striking similarity to Mir Ranjan Negi's real life experiences. Negi, the goalkeeper in the India national hockey team, gave up 7 goals to Pakistan in the 1982 Asian Games and was widely blamed for the loss, even being hailed as a traitor. Negi would partly redeem himself by coaching the Indian team that won the Gold Medal in the 1998 Asian Games and, later, by coaching the India women's national hockey team that struck gold in the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Negi was hired on to this film to train the cast in playing field hockey.

One doesn't walk away from this film as suddenly intimate with the intricacies of field hockey, yet CHAK DE! INDIA breaks down the game enough that you do get the gist of the sport and appreciate what the girls are going thru. I thought this film was tremendous. CHAK DE! INDIA is right up there with Lagaan - Once Upon a Time in India and Iqbal, in the realm of excellent sports films put out by Bollywood. Again, CHAK DE! INDIA is an example of what Bollywood is capable of when it eschews the dumbed-down humor, the exaggerated hanky-wringing, and the singing and dancing (although, don't get it twisted, I mostly dig the song and dance routines). Sometimes, a dose of grit and reality, of heart without sopping sentimentality, is what's called for. And CHAK DE! INDIA fits that bill. The commercial and critical success can't be a fluke, right? Just listen to that rallying cry: Chak de!

I saw this on an airplane and enjoyed it very much. It's the very involving story of the Indian women's field hockey team. Shah Rukh Khan plays their coach, but mainly the movie is about the young women on the team and how they overcome obstacles to work together. (This is not your usual Bollywood movie--there's no singing or dancing.)

The spirit is similar to Bend It Like Beckham, but I think I liked this movie even better. A great choice for families or anyone who likes an unusual sports story.

A unique movie that highlights the poor state of India's sports and the apathy experienced by sportswomen. This could be among the best SRK performances and lacks all of the usual overacting that is his trademark. The movie proves that Bollywood can make highly entertaining movies and can do without the usual song and dance numbers while carrying a valuable social message. This movie rates 5 stars just for being more inventive than all the other dull-as-dishwater films that Bollywood churns out (mostly). The next movie should be about the abysmal Indian cricket team.

The other reviews of this movie pretty much cover it. I just want to add that this is a more realistic and thoughtful movie that is more about uniting the regional differences of India into a cohesiveness as a national identity.
I'm not a sports lover yet I found the hockey quite watchable. It isn't so much a sports movie but rather a story about personalities and nation.
SRK is restrained but excellent. He is not really the main focus of the movie though as he steps back and allows the girls centre stage. Given that they are mostly unknowns and not even actors mostly the girls did a great job.
A world match is played out in Melbourne (where I am from) and I must say they made the place look good - made me want to visit it!
While there is background music, this isn't a song and dance Bollywood - no dances and one sporting song.
I benefited in my understanding of India from watching it and it is a movie they can be justly proud of.

I don't know how many people have noticed this, but Preity's sexist and obnoxious boyfriend is practically a double of India's current young vice-captain and star, Mahendra Singh Dhoni-- put their portraits together and you can hardly tell the difference, except that Dhoni's hair is more tousled, his pic was taken in the open air. Which is too bad, because Dhoni is one of the nicest guys around-- always encouraging his players, leading by example, and modest almost to a fault in one-on-one interviews. I am proud to call him a fellow Delhi-wallah, too. If more had been shown of the boyfriend's cricketing talents, we might have thought better of him-- but naah, let him fester in his sexist juices-- Preity's heave-ho of her boyfriend at the end of the movie was well and truly deserved. Chak de, Dhoni.

What a great film this is -- well-drawn characters, lots of heart, and an ending that is left a little in suspense until the last moment (it could go either way, trust me). It introduced me to Shah Rukh Khan, and having seen several of his films I have to say he's a really nice actor. This movie is not the typical Bollywood; no love story on this one. But a very nice, well-done film that the family can enjoy. I bought this from a source other than amazon, because it was too expensive and not available on amazon. Still, if you can add it to your Bollywood collection, or if this is your first try at a Bollywood movie -- do it! Highly recommended!

This is a really good movie. We did not recognize SRK in this film at first. We watched it on Netflix, but decided to buy it here for a good price. There is a bit of violence in one scene. There is a scene where an engaged couple wake up in the same bed. No bad language that we could hear. No real religious elements, either. It is one of those Sports movies where the rag-tag team has to learn to work together to succeed.

This is a Bollywood film with no dance scenes, barely any romance, a rather limited color palette (by Bollywood's standards), and rather normal-looking girls. Discouraged? Don't be! What is left is a movie with an intense focus on the characters and the condition of Indian women's sports and relationships between the various cultures in India. The story doesn't stray far from the standard sports movie formula, but it still delivers an engaging and memorable experience with top-notch performances from the athletes. For the Bollywood fan, I strongly recommend this movie as a refreshing change from the typical Bollywood film.

Chak De is a great movie to watch. I watched it with my 7th and 8th grade students and they seemed to really enjoy it. They really liked the music, too! I had one student who tried to download it on his I-pod. He liked the Chak De song that much. We had to read the subtitles, but that was okay for them. It was a good experience. For 6th grade students, I think the subtitles would be too difficult to read. I would recommend showing this movie to 7th-12th grade students. We were studying the Indus Valley (Social Studies), so I thought this movie had a connection to what India is like today. Very good movie!!!

Wow!!! After watching this on Netflik streaming, I had to order it from Amazon for all the special features. You can't beat this movie for all the drama that goes on in team sports. Will highly consider purchasing the Blu-Ray version for $10 more after viewing the standard dvd and giving it to my middle school athlete to watch, for this film captures the true spirit of team sports. Simply excellent. Lessons learned are transferable to all other team sports: basketball, soccer, rugby, la cross, water polo, etc. A movie such as this should help facilitate a coaches job after viewing by the team.