Chak De! India

Acted on impulse after a long time & decided to catch a show in the middle of the week. Frankly, since it released over 2 weeks ago, everybody & their colleague has seen it & can't stop raving about it. So, it was time I checked it out for myself.

It's a movie very different from the norm. And compared to the drivel that Yash Raj has dished out so far this year, there's a difference akin to that between chalk & cheese.

The story is about OK. I've seen quite a few Hollywood sport themed flicks where a bunch of impossibly mismatched egos come together to magically pull off a miracle, learning a lot of lessons along the way. Nothing new there.

What IS new is the novelty of this concept in Hindi films, the number of issues the film tackles, successfully, and the treatment it has received at the hands of the director. When was the last time you saw a film dealing with issues like the regional, ethnic & linguistic divide, gender sensitivity, the patriotism test minorities in this country are subject to, communalism & the neglect of sports .... all at once? I think Lagaan comes closest, but that's the only one that comes to mind.

The pace is fast with nary a dull moment & the characterizations are unique & well etched. Everyone in the cast delivers a convincing performance & the whole setup is quite authentic. Shahrukh's role is what holds the film together. He delivers a knockout performance, but I still think that Swades was his best ever.

All in all, a total paisa-vasool film. Hats off to Yash Raj, Shimit Amin, Jaideep Sahni & everyone who was part of the cast.

P.S. 1 - this is the 1st film I've watched alone, ever.
P.S. 2 - this is one film with the maximum number of mentions of Jharkhand!
P.S. 3 - they showed promos of Aaja Nachle before the start. Madhuri's still got it.