Beautiful, Inspiring, 10/10
Just saw Chak De India tonight - what an amazing film. I'm not into sport films but Chak De is so much more than just a sports film.
It's about a man's redemption following unjust suffering; it's about bad journalism and mob mentality; it's about the status of women in society; it's about every individual's struggle over being selfish and looking out for themselves or being selfless and looking out for others, in this case the team; it's about the enjoyment of competition; it's about loving your country and all who live in it but also respecting other nations. On top of all that it's a damn good sports film!
I don't think I've ever seen a film where there were so many moments that made me so emotional that I genuinely had tears welling up in my eyes - but always in a good way - I enjoyed the tears - I enjoyed the fact that there was a film that could make me feel like that - it's extremely rare. This is a film you want to watch again and again and you want to tell your friends about.
It's also very funny - you laugh as much as you cry and that's thanks to a wonderful script - Jaideep Sahni, the writer, deserves so much praise. As does the director, because the flow of the film is excellent, there's so much happening and it's so tense but the time just flies by.
Everyone excelled performance wise - the girls were excellent - in particular I liked the dynamic between the two attackers who in pursuit of their own goals had become rivals within the same team.
What else can be said in praise about Shahrukh Khan? I've always been a fan but this performance blew even me away. You really feel the internal pain and anguish of Kabir Khan; you see it in his eyes, you see it in the way he talks, you see it in his actions, you see it when he's sad and you even see it when he's happy - the wound is that deep, the performance is that good. This man has suffered and that's why you feel such a sense of joy each time somthing nice happens to him like in the game against the boys and obviously in the final.
It's strange but even though you know India are going to win the World Cup, it's written in such way, shot in such a way, acted in such a way, that you feel tense all the way through. At any moment you think something could go wrong.
The film leaves you more than satisfied and happy, but it also leaves you wanting more: more hockey, more Kabir Khan, more films like this!
It might seem like I've heaped too much praise on the film, but reading over what I've written I think I'm selling the film short - it's that good. I'm already thinking of other great things I could have mentioned - ah well, you'll just have to watch it and see for yourself.