Aprajita Anil

Chak De India
New Delhi, August 10
Rating: 3.5 / 5

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan (Kabir khan), Vidya Malavade (Vidya Sharma), Chitrashi Rawat (Komal Chautala), Sagarika Ghatge (Preeti Sabarwal), Shilpa Shukla (Bindia Naik), Tanya Abrol (Balbir Kaur)

Director: Shimit Amin

When was the last time you went in search of skill and substance and not skin and sizzle in a Hindi

cinema?

Or when was the last time you desperately tried to be all ears to every single dialogue instead of waiting for a particular scene or song?

And do you remember if you were ever able to digest a Bollywood product with no lovey-dovey passionate act?

Ok the last one!

Can you recall the time when you had none of these elements and yet you came out of the theatre smiling?

Tough one, ain't it? Well Shimit Amin's Chak De India makes you savour this tough treat. And take my words… you'll relish it to the core!

So no matter what opinion you held for other such sporty flicks coming out from the tinsel town, like Tara Rum Pum or Hattrick, this one won't talk about anything but sports. Period.

If ability, capability and expertise were all that was needed to win a match, sports would have been a different ball game altogether. And this is what Kabir Khan believed in.

Kabir Khan, once the captain of Indian Hockey team, was accused of match-fixing with Pakistani players. The blue-eyed boy had suddenly become an eye-sore. Hurt and humiliated, Kabir decided to leave his house with his mother but the dream of India's success never eluded him.

He returned seven years later. He took another chance from life.

The Indian woman's hockey team needed a coach but had no takers. The team was lost in oblivion. People had given up hope. There was a belief that a turnaround from that point was impossible. And it was this belief that Kabir wanted to turn into disbelief!

The 'gaddaar' tag had made him stronger over the years and he was out to show that he was no 'outsider' afterall.

Kabir began his escapade. But not without hitches…There were plenty of them.

He may have snatched a second inning for himself from life, but the hockey girls were far from ready to accept him.

The so-called team was hardly a team. They were not playing against the world but were out to outshine each other. There was nothing called focus, leave alone approach. When the world teams were gearing up to strike, they did not have the right ammunitions to begin.

What really existed was ego tussles in abundance, senior-junior divide, veteran-novice classification, the stronger-weaker category… and the toughest part – no one was ready to budge.

Three months to go for the World Cup, endless obstructions and just one weapon. Kabir's BELIEF. And it was this belief he had to instill among the girls belonging to states as diverse as Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

Each came with their own traits, background, style of living, culture and lingo but Kabir was determined to bring them together. He wanted to paint them as Indians. For he knew just one thing - "Jo nahin ho sakta hai, wahi to karna hai... "!

Well what follows is another story. What happens is better if watched.

But what matters is how it all happened.

And it is this defining flavour that distinguishes the director as deserving.

There are hardly time when a director does not carry forward the shades of his earlier films into the next. But Amin has kept Ab Tak Chappan miles behind. And mind you, it's no easy job to venture into two completely different moods and that too without hiccups.

Complimenting Amin's act is Jaideep Sahni's script, who has not once diverted from the main theme – sports.

The duo proved that a powerful storyline and a punching direction can create waves even if you don't have the dancing-around-the-trees act or the usual love-you-kiss-you-miss-you piece.

The background score is excellent and not just adds life to the already lively screenplay but also makes you heart go THUMP.

The narration is tight and the editing is slick. The cinematography is first-rate.

And now, for the performances.

If Shah Rukh the star, pulled you to the cinema hall, it's Shah Rukh the actor, who is gonna keep you gripped.

His over dose in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna that made him fall flat, is no where to be seen. Instead the man stands firm, stands tall and rises gracefully. The director has never tried to glorify the character Kabir. And SRK reflects that aptly. He was there for his own reason and was guided by his own reason.

So even if you're a non-SRK fan, you gotta go 'n see the guy perform. And if you still remain unconvinced, just tell me one actor who would have dared to risk a script which has no usual B-masala. The man knows his job and understands his strength!

As for the girls, well they are the face of the entire film. Even the word 'brilliant' would be an understatement. Each deliver their unique performance in style.

They make you laugh, they make you giggle, they make you sit there and realise that they are out their to perform and would not goof it up for anything.

All have a special place but it was Chitrashi Rawat as Komal Chautala, Shilpa Shukla as Bindia Naik, Tanya Abrol as Balbir Kaur, and Sagarika Ghatge as Preeti Sabarwal, who were the lifeline of the film. Vidya Malavade as Vidya Sharma has also sketched her role beautifully.

Agreed the film is not without flaws. It is kind of silly to imagine that a no-show team can be shaped into world champions in just three months. But then there has to be some line between reel and real.

And c'mon guys it was never suppose to be "based on real incidence". But then again, don't forget, it WAS inspired from a true story.

The other place where you get that 'now that's kinda silly' thought, is the cafeteria scenes, where woman folk take of the rowdies. It is badly shot.

But nonetheless, there are many more flawless elements that would leave a deeper impact.

So, go ahead, treat yourself to a Bollywood bonanza, which doesn't come everyday. And yes, don't be too surprised if after coming out, you get the thought… 'maybe one more time'.

And for the onlookers of dance, skin, colour and romance, well it's a must watch. Perhaps it would help redefine the word 'entertainment'!

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