Chak De! India (2007)
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A disgraced former hockey captain seeks redemption by coaching a fractured women's national team to international glory.
The story
After a disastrous loss to Pakistan and being ostracized due to religious prejudice, former Indian men's national field hockey captain Kabir Khan is appointed to coach the neglected Indian women's national field hockey team. He takes charge of a fractured roster of 16 young women plagued by regional biases, interpersonal rivalries, and systemic discrimination. Kabir realizes that tactical skill is useless without team unity and enforces strict discipline to mold the contentious group into a cohesive unit. The team must overcome internal conflicts and external hurdles to qualify for and compete in the World Cup in Australia.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following a misinterpreted gesture during a match against Pakistan, Kabir Khan is disgraced and forced into exile. Seven years later, he is hired to coach the Indian women's national field hockey team. The roster is divided by regionalism, including clashes between players from Haryana and Chandigarh, and racial discrimination against Northeast Indian players. Kabir enforces discipline, leading to a rebellion by veteran Bindiya Naik, but the team eventually unites after defending themselves against harassment. After securing funding by winning an exhibition match against the men's team, they travel to Australia. Despite an initial heavy loss, Kabir manages the team through victories over England, Spain, South Africa, New Zealand, and Argentina. He eventually brings Bindiya back into the lineup for a crucial semi-final against South Korea. In the final against Australia, Komal and Preeti set aside personal ambitions to score, leading to a penalty shootout victory. The win restores Kabir's honor and changes public perception of the players.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 149
- Production countries
- India
- Original languages
- Hindi; English
- Directors
- Shimit Amin
- Writers
- Jaideep Sahni · writer
- Cast and characters
- Shah Rukh Khan · Kabir Khan; Aanjjan Srivastav · Mr. Vishal Tripathi; Vibha Chibber · Krishnaji; Javed Khan · Sukhlal; Mohit Chauhan · Uttam Singh; Vivan Bhatena · Abhimanyu Singh; Nakul Vaid · Rakesh Sharma; Joyshree Arora · Kabir's mother
- Genres
- sports; drama
- Themes
- women's empowerment; team unity; nationalism; redemption
- Tone and mood
- inspiring; patriotic; serious
- Premise and plot tags
- underdog sports; sports drama; feminist
- Source material / true-story basis
- Inspired by the women's national field hockey team's win at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim, praised for its direction, story, screenplay, dialogues, feminist themes, and performances, particularly Shah Rukh Khan's. It was a box office 'Blockbuster' and was highly successful in large cities.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 4
- Awards and nominations
- National Film Award · Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment · 55th National Film Awards · won; Filmfare Awards · Best Film (Critics) · won; Filmfare Awards · Best Actor · won; Filmfare Awards · Best Action · won; Filmfare Awards · Best Cinematography · won; Filmfare Awards · Best Editing · won
- Production trivia
- The title track 'Chak De! India' doubles as a sports anthem in India.; Shah Rukh Khan took the role because he used to play hockey in college.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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