Chalk De India

The heading is inspired. So's the movie.

Take 80 parts inspiration, 18 parts bitterness, 1 part rationality and 1 part implications. Put it together. Get an insipid blog post about an inspiring movie. Inspiring. I love that word now. It begins with I. Just like India. And as they say, there is no "I" in team.

Chak De India chalks out a simple enough plot. Captain of National Hockey Team misses out the oh-so-important-this-shall-decide-the-fate-of-the-world penalty shot in a match against Pakistan. Curses, allegations and alligator like journalists (in collaboration with Times of India and Aaj Tak?) waste no time in attaching labels to the betrayer Kabir Khan. He disappears for seven years while the world leaves its mark on his address. But this isn't a movie review. That's for Sandy.

Movies like Chak De.. prove that we don't need songs and dance routines. Just put in a lot of sportsman spirit, comment about the same, show some mercenary politicians, mention sponsorships, raise hockey sticks and walk away in a blaze of teary eyed realizations. Come to think of it, just how much of it is a light on the current situation in the country? But then "this is India, yahaan pe kuchh bhi hota hai". Not surprising that sport body association leaders have flabby bodies, have their sideburns dyed one scene and whitened the next and don't much understand the intricacies of sportsmanship. No, this plot is about holding a mirror up to an obvious bias towards more marketable games, testosterone, gender bias and McDonalds.

deviation: The Calcutta McD is a pile of glass, steel, wood and curious passers by. The McD in the movie was a pile of upturned chairs, no food, vegetarianism and not in the screen passers by.

The storyline proceeds predictably. There can be only one villain in a team, and this one didn't have it. Jealousy, teamwork, oneupmanship - it's all there. Technically, oneupwomanship, but then we're Indians and selfless creatures who don't hog the glory. If the ball has to be swished alongside, so be it. It's a match we are winning. Two and a half hours in seventy minutes that no glory can take away. Some obvious jokes along the way of course. India faces six time champion Australia. Okay, good thing it wasn't cliche that Pakistan wasn't the opponent here. But then, there wasn't a single mention of them during the entire World Championship. Hmm...

If you're watching the movie (as you very well should), don't miss out on the obvious cricket references. The Team India huddle at the climax, the cricket world cup being the high point, newly elected gymmed physique vice-caption's take on the rest of the world and a few other things which I should have noted but didn't.

There's something about watching country related movies. Maybe the spontaneous clapping you get from the hyperactive Rs. 30 ticketers. Perhaps it's the vigorous shaking of the seats which remind you of earthquakes. Those, incidentally are the Rs. 50 ticketers who are stamping at the floor in newfound Rang-de-Basantish fervour.

Chak De.. makes you want to cheer. It makes you want to go watch women's hockey. Even the one year olds who were towed into the theatre were crying out their enthusiastic support. Although I'm not entirely convinced they were crying out for the right reasons....