chak de...

I don't want my blog to look like a film review station. But, having been a person so influenced by films and books, I wouldn't be surprised if it tastes like one.

I've been fortunate to see quite a few awesome films over the last month. It started with the OSIANs film fest followed by the one at IHC. Some great films released in theatres too. I've already talked about Gandhi- my Father.

I also saw Rush Hour-3. It is a thorough entertainer, though not a patch on the 1st part. Wonder if Jackie Chan is made of rubber...

Blue Umbrella is one of the sweetest films I've seen. The innocence of pahaadi village life that is so beautifully depicted in the stories of Ruskin Bond has been translated on to celluloid without an ounce of the beauty spilling over. The performance of Pankaj Kapur shows why he is amongst the most under-utilised actors in the country.

The pick of the week was Chak De...India- An amazingly well made sports drama with generous doses of subtle nationalism. The cliched theme of the victory of the underdogs has been given a new life.

Remember Lakshya... remember Lagaan.... and remember the positive energy that one comes out of the hall with. Similar is the experience after Chak De.

All of us know the story right...how Shah Rukh Khan helps the women's hockey team win the world cup. I'm sure there are doubting Thomas' like me who typically choose to give SRK movies a slip. Surprisingly, you don't see SRK on screen... you see Kabir Khan... just as you saw Mohan Bhargava in Swades.

Kabir Khan, the coach makes it clear- "is team mein sirf ek goonda hai aur woh main hoon"... Awesome... See the confidence that oozes out of him as he speaks these lines... witness the conviction...

"Mujhe sirf ek naam sunaai deta hai- I-N-D-I-A"... when he says he can't hear the names of different states...

The tongue-in-cheek remarks when he speaks with the chief of the hockey federation... or the one about the white man hoisting the Indian Tricolour are masterpieces.

Look at the scene after the men v/s women hockey match when the men raise their hockey sticks in salute of the women's performance... witness the scene in the begining when at the registration table, the gentleman welcomes the girls from north-east as "mehmaan" and the girls innocently saying, "aapko kaisa lagega apne hee desh mein mehmaan banke"...

Look at the power in the "sattar minute" dialogue...

The scenes in the women's room... the bickerings... the bullying... and the eventual camaraderie are all well shot!!!

The song, "teeja tera rang tha main toh...maula mere le le meri jaan" plays in the backdrop at the most apt of times...

The scene of the redemption for Kabir Khan at the end of the world cup (watch the tricolour strategically placed) is amongst the best in the movie.

The cake however is reserved for two scenes... one... in the begining of the movie...after the moments of shame...kabir khan leaves his ancestral home with his mom... and a kid saying "gaddaar ko dekhna hai".... And eventually in the scene of his ultimate redemption at the end when he comes back with his mom to the same home after 7 years...and gets a hero's welcome.... and a kid rubbing of the "gaddaar" written on the walls...and kabir handing over a hockey stick to the kid... I think Shah Rukh Khan has excelled in the scene...

I cannot recollect any aspect of the movie that i did not like... The background score is damn good...the editing and screnplay are both tight...the film is beautifully shot... the performances are all superb... in particular the girl who plays Komal Chautala, the haryanvi girl in the movie...see the energy she exudes...

(I've heard the girl who plays the role is actually a garhwali... was wondering if all short garhwaali girls exude the same kind of energy...experience says- affirmative...)

Full marks to Shimit Amin the director...

Dont chuck Chak De...its worth a watch and even more...
Its an experience....again