Chak De India - my review....

I watched this Sharukh Khan starrer today. I have mixed opinions about the movie. I would say it was a confused attempt to make a different movie. It should certainly be appreciated that the movie makers had the guts to go ahead with a movie which has no duets, fight sequences or comedy scenes, which are so much part and parcel of a bollywood flick. That said, I suspect if they did justice to it. I had a feeling they pretty much ended up playing themselves into Shahrukh's image.

Overall, the plot was too predictable. So the narration had to be more gripping to keep the viewers entertained. Including a few of the strategies that have changed playing hockey or won matches, would have probably been a better idea. For example, there was a mention of man-to-man marking of Korean team, and how difficult it would be to break such a defense for our team and win. Shahrukh asks one of the senior players of the team to break that defense, without explaining how, it just sounded escapist. They should have explained the counter strategy that makes you overcome such a difficulty. The movie makers may have felt that if they did include such strategies, it would become more like a documentary... when Shahrukh does play a simulation on the coffee table, before the National Womens Hockey Coach interview, and on a few occasions where they appeared discussing these tactics on the drawing board without any voice, didn't really make sense. Instead, if they actually did discuss strategies it would have only been apt.

They seemed to project the idea that if all the players play to a common goal, the team would win. Sure, it goes a long way in a team sport but that's not the only thing that makes you win. The plot also offered a lot of scope for some motivational talk before the games. Unfortunately that parts of the movie was just about average, the movie makers sure missed a trick or two there.

Since the movie lacks the commercial elements like comedy or the audio/visual appeal of songs, I suspect that it might not attract repeat audience. But I won't be surprised if the movie will be a hit, as it shows India wins in the end. In my humble opinion, we are so desperate to see our team win even if it were to be in a movie..