JUNGLEE RAJA
11th August 2007, 05:46 PM
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Chitrashi Rawat, Tanya Abrol
Direction: Shimit Amin
Put your hands together for director Shimit Amin's Chak De India, this week's big new Bollywood release about a disgraced former national hockey player who, seven years after he was falsely accused of throwing away the game, shows up to coach the national women's hockey team.
The coach in question, Kabir Khan played by Shah Rukh Khan, succeeds in convincing a reluctant hockey association to give his team a chance. The team itself is made up of girls from across the length and breadth of the country, each a state champ in her own right.
There's a set-up, there's a build-up and there's a climax. But because it's done so neatly, and because all the elements come together so well, the film works perfectly.
In fact, the plot and the screenplay of Chak De India is a no-brainer, it's designed to be a crowd-pleaser from the very word go -- there's the basic underdog story at the core, there's a patriotic angle thrown in for good measure, the film even talks about gender equality.
Despite its sluggish pace, Chak De India is a compelling film to watch and much of its charm lies in those wonderful scenes between the 16-odd girls who make up coach Kabir Khan's underdog team.
They're terrible actors most of them, but it's because the director falls on their natural instincts that they come off so lovable and endearing. Chitrashi Rawat who plays the pint-sized Komal and Tanya Abrol who plays the Punjaban-toughie Balbir are nothing short of excellent.
Director Shimit Amin touches all the right chords when he constructs those excellent confrontation and disagreement scenes between the girls, and even though he throws around a bagful of cultural stereotypes, you don't grumble too much because these cliches aren't so much offensive as they are affectionate.
In the end, Chak De India keeps you glued to your seat because the hockey scenes are terrific. It's a sports film in the true spirit of sports films, and like me, even if you're not a fan of watching sports, it's unlikely the film will bore you because it's so dramatically shot.
The film's climax, the World Hockey Championship scenes, play out pretty much exactly as you expect them to, but that's the magic of sport, it engages you and involves you nonetheless.
And that leaves us to talk about Shah Rukh Khan who I must admit I haven't been the biggest fan of because I'm often bored by the films he chooses. But for the first time since Swades, Shah Rukh plays a role without any of his typical trappings, without any of his trademark quirks.
There you have it then, it's an immensely satisfying movie experience, I'm going to go with four out of five and two thumbs up for director Shimit Amin's Chak De India. It's got a predictable premise and you know exactly which way the story's going to go, but sometimes, when the characters win over your heart and you're rooting for them to win, that's all that really matters.
Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
Source : Ibnlive
Direction: Shimit Amin
Put your hands together for director Shimit Amin's Chak De India, this week's big new Bollywood release about a disgraced former national hockey player who, seven years after he was falsely accused of throwing away the game, shows up to coach the national women's hockey team.
The coach in question, Kabir Khan played by Shah Rukh Khan, succeeds in convincing a reluctant hockey association to give his team a chance. The team itself is made up of girls from across the length and breadth of the country, each a state champ in her own right.
There's a set-up, there's a build-up and there's a climax. But because it's done so neatly, and because all the elements come together so well, the film works perfectly.
In fact, the plot and the screenplay of Chak De India is a no-brainer, it's designed to be a crowd-pleaser from the very word go -- there's the basic underdog story at the core, there's a patriotic angle thrown in for good measure, the film even talks about gender equality.
Despite its sluggish pace, Chak De India is a compelling film to watch and much of its charm lies in those wonderful scenes between the 16-odd girls who make up coach Kabir Khan's underdog team.
They're terrible actors most of them, but it's because the director falls on their natural instincts that they come off so lovable and endearing. Chitrashi Rawat who plays the pint-sized Komal and Tanya Abrol who plays the Punjaban-toughie Balbir are nothing short of excellent.
Director Shimit Amin touches all the right chords when he constructs those excellent confrontation and disagreement scenes between the girls, and even though he throws around a bagful of cultural stereotypes, you don't grumble too much because these cliches aren't so much offensive as they are affectionate.
In the end, Chak De India keeps you glued to your seat because the hockey scenes are terrific. It's a sports film in the true spirit of sports films, and like me, even if you're not a fan of watching sports, it's unlikely the film will bore you because it's so dramatically shot.
The film's climax, the World Hockey Championship scenes, play out pretty much exactly as you expect them to, but that's the magic of sport, it engages you and involves you nonetheless.
And that leaves us to talk about Shah Rukh Khan who I must admit I haven't been the biggest fan of because I'm often bored by the films he chooses. But for the first time since Swades, Shah Rukh plays a role without any of his typical trappings, without any of his trademark quirks.
There you have it then, it's an immensely satisfying movie experience, I'm going to go with four out of five and two thumbs up for director Shimit Amin's Chak De India. It's got a predictable premise and you know exactly which way the story's going to go, but sometimes, when the characters win over your heart and you're rooting for them to win, that's all that really matters.
Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
Source : Ibnlive