Chak De India!!!!

S and me had been to see this movie today and am I glad we did that. Just when I was beginning to think the genre of movies showcasing the "India spirit" was totally used up, there came this one which presents it in an all new light.

Though I would not go as far to compare it with Lagaan (that one was one of a kind), it would definitely be rated as good as Swades which I'd loved. It is worth at least one watch, if not more.

I loved the way a few critical points were addressed in the same movie. I'll list them down here to make my point clear:
1. The all pervading sense of patriotism in seeing our country's national team compete at the international level.

2. The attitude of thinking girls are meant only "cooking and washing at home" and "they can never compete like men can" and the general apathy towards women rampant in our country.

3. The building of teamwork, a bond that can overcome all obstacles and take the unit above an individual's gratification.

All the girls who essayed the roles of the hockey players in the movie look the part and have been selected with extreme care. A few of them stand out - Komal Chautala (a dimunitive Haryanvi with a well oiled tongue), Preeti Sabarwal (a good looking, tall, athletic player who shines the most on the field), Baljit (an endearing well built Punjabi lass who uses her fists as much as her mouth to good effect), Vidya Sharma (the married goalkeeper whose hubby and in laws play the spoilsports in her hocker career) and Bindiya Jain (the seniormost player of the team who embodies the "I'm jealous of the player who was made captain" spirit first and then the change over into playing for the team and take it to victory).

There are quite a few very good scenes in the movie, scenes that make you want to whistle (unfortunately I can't), stamp your feet in admiration and shout out "Chak De India". There are also some scenes which bring a lump in the throat and make you think how good it is to be Indian.

SRK has portrayed his role with the professionalism characteristic to him, he makes Kabir Khan seem very real, someone who you might have had the opportunity to meet or at least have read about in the papers. He uses the women's hockey team to achieve his dream of India winning the Hockey World Cup and in the process runs them through some gruelling practice sessions.

All in all, this movie is extremely watchable and I would recommend it to everyone who is Indian and to whom the whole idea of this new age Indianism is something to look forward to and to identify with.

Sorry for the cliche, but chak de India!!! You rock!!!