Hollywood
has
had
its
fair
share
of
sport
themed
films
from
Escape
of
Victory,
Chariots
of
Fire,
A
League
of
their
own
to
The
Longest
Yard,
Coach
Carter
and
Any
Given
Sunday.
But
same
was
never
the
case
in
our
country.
Of
course
there
was
Iqbal
and
partly
the
period
piece
Lagaan
(which
cashed
in
on
cricket)
but
then
these
two
dealt
with
cricket,
which
is
nothing
short
of
a
national
sensation.
To
attempt
a
film
on
hockey
which
is
heavily
ignored
in
spite
of
being
the
national
sport
of
India
and
to
be
precise
women's
hockey
here,
and
then
to
present
it
with
conviction,
courage
and
realism
on
screen
is
not
all
that
easy.
The
Yash
Raj
banner
has
teamed
up
with
one
of
their
favourite
actors
Shah
Rukh
Khan,
not
for
another
romantic
musical
hit
but
for
this
off
beat
movie,
thereby
proving
that
they
are
open
to
experimentation
and
tests.
Here
director
Shimit
Amin's
contributions
have
come
handy
in
a
big
way.
He
has
the
track
record
of
making
a
realistic
film
like
Ab
Tak
Chhappan
and
his
own
unique
touch
is
there
throughout
the
film.
Shah
Rukh
plays
Kabir
Khan,
a
dedicated
Indian
hockey
player,
whose
one
mistake
of
missing
out
on
a
vital
penalty
shot
in
a
final
world
cup
match
against
Pakistan
costs
him
his
career
and
his
honour.
He
is
accused
of
being
a
traitor
and
is
forced
out
of
the
game.
He
emerges
seven
years
later,
asking
for
an
opportunity
to
coach
the
Indian
female
hockey
team,
which
in
actuality
is
not
a
team
but
a
group
of
scattered
aimless
girls,
who
are
in
the
game
just
for
the
sake
of
it.
Nobody
is
willing
to
give
them
and
the
team
any
attention.
From
there
on
begins
the
fight
of
Kabir,
how
he
instills
team
spirit,
dedication
and
love
for
the
game
in
the
girls
and
transforms
them
into
world
champions
capable
of
performing
miracles.
Shah
Rukh
Khan
has
moved
away
from
his
typical
image
yet
again
after
Swades.
He
breathes
life
into
the
character
and
fits
the
role
to
a
t.
It's
a
treat
to
watch
the
Baadshah
do
something
so
drastically
different,
in
the
process
successfully
convincing
the
viewers.
The
perfect
casting
in
the
film
is
a
big
plus
point,
without
which
the
film
would
have
never
looked
real.
The
girls
essaying
the
roles
of
hockey
players
from
various
states
are
ideally
cast
and
play
their
parts
well.
Vidya
Malvade
is
the
only
known
face
here,
thanks
to
her
modeling
background
and
her
debut
film
Inteha.
She
doesn't
disappoint
but
there
are
others
who
get
equal
attention
too.
Especially
Sagarika
Ghatge
who
plays
Preeti
Sabharwal
and
the
girls
playing
the
political
Vindya,
the
'Punjabi
kudi'
Balbir
and
the
pint
sized
Haryani
tom
boy
(the
latter
two
make
more
of
an
impact
because
of
the
comic
scenes
involved).
The
hockey
matches
have
been
filmed
on
a
grand
scale
in
Australia
and
look
very
authentic
and
commendable
(which
is
not
very
usual
in
Hindi
cinema).
Writer
Jaideep
Sahni
proves
his
mettle
yet
again
after
films
like
Company
and
Khosla
Ka
Ghosla.
Though
his
story
and
screen
play
has
some
typical
filmi
moments
(can't
really
do
without
in
a
Bollywood
film)
it's
quite
convincing.
Another
good
thing
is
that
the
film
is
not
too
long,
just
about
two
hours
or
so.
The
dialogues
are
pretty
good
and
the
girls
talking
in
their
various
languages
and
accents
make
the
situations
genuine.
Music
is
alright
and
understandably
so
since
there
is
not
much
requirement
of
the
same
here.
Chak
De
India
is
a
sincere
effort
and
it
is
really
nice
to
see
such
well-made
experimental
films
being
tried.
One
hitch
could
be
the
film
might
not
appeal
to
the
lovers
of
typical
Bollywood
masala
potboilers
and
can
remained
confined
in
the
niche
audience
category,
being
appreciated
by
people
who
have
it
in
them
to
praise
such
novel
efforts..