Chak de!

On the happy eve of the Independence Day, I ventured out to watch Srk's new film Chak de India. On the whole, the film wasn't a let down. The screenplay as well as the cinematography were taut, Srk was his usual inmitiable self, and Salim-Sulieman's music was impressive and blended well to the overall feel of the film. However, the scene stealers were the sixteen girls who rise to fame in the women's hockey championship as well as the testing waters of the Indian film industry. Of them, Tanya Abrol as Balbir Kaur, Chitrashi Rawat as Komal Chautala, Sagarika Ghatge as Preeti Sabharwal, Vidya Malvade as Vidya Sharma and Shilpa Shukla as Bindia Naik definitely stand out, simply because screen space and narrative priority is in their favour. They are brilliant in their respective roles. The film does not disappoint, nor does it leave anything to the imagination. Well, most hindi films work in the way that even before you reach the climax of the film (or indeed even before watching the film) you mostly know what the end will entail. Hindi films often do not work toward a plot ending in revelation, but rather how the expected end would be achieved. The climactic sequence in Chak De of the hockey final between India and Australia promises edge of the seat action as any final telecast live on TV would. In fact, watching this film in a cinema hall surrounded by people from all walks and talks of life in delhi, recreates the scene of any real-life live telecast of a sought after sport.

Though the film tries to be vehement on its nationalistic, unity-in-diversity stance so appropriate for the spirit of the Day, it is fraught with cliches. The issue of the State having been divided into states where often the criterion of difference is language, is a real problem both in terms of politics of the sport as well as within the matrix of cultural diversity. The north-easteners are stereotyped as a certain kind of attractive feminity and called upon as guests, lack of knowledge about the newer states such as Jharkhand, the collusion of all southerners as 'madrassis' with a common language are a few examples.

Its gladdening to witness a shift in the representation of women in mainstream cinema, howsoever with a pinch of salt. The over-riding theme/issue of women's liberation and choice of sport is too obviously done with the dismissive and disapproving families, arrogant and equally dismissive new-age cricketer boyfriend, official prejudice and stereotype of the domestic woman. The female characters are not psychologised, and are presented through selective sketches. The high point of the film, nevertheless, is the emphasis on team building, and the organisation of a group of women as a potent force within the structures of society. Whether or not this film intervenes in either the status or representation of women in society or art, remains to be seen. But it will definitely offer a fresher breath to the declining status of hockey in general, and women's hockey in particular.

All in all, the film is worth a watch. Chak le!