Chak De - India Ka Jazbah!!

- Maverick

Have you ever played in a team? Not our usual evening endeavors where we played for fun and mostly for time pass, but for something, which may range from an important bet to playing for your college to playing for your country. However different the level at which you are playing is, there is one thing that is common to all. That thing is a feeling, a feeling that you belong somewhere, that you are a part of something, something which you have worked had day and night at building together with others with the same feeling that’s inside of you. That thing is a sense of pride, for you team, for your city or for your country that you share with other members of the team. That feeling is the knowledge, the knowledge about the weaknesses and strengths of the team and the other team members and the knowledge that it would be possible only when everybody supports each other. The feeling is a faith, a faith you put in yourself, your coach, a faith in your team, which makes you cheer them out so loud that your throat grows hoarse. That feeling is an adrenaline rush, which makes you give it all you got. The feeling that puts you on the ninth cloud when you win and the feeling that you get when u lose but you don’t grieve that much and you still have enough team spirit left to congratulate the opposite side.

It has been a long time since I felt that and it felt great to feel that once more.

It all started when my friend forced me to come to the movie – “Chak de”. To be frank, I am an avid movie buff, but the current stature and the quality of Hindi movies is not according to my “standards”. And since this one was based on a sports theme, I was a bit more skeptic than usual. But I went, just to humor my friend and ‘cause I hadn’t enjoyed my weekend in a long time.

As for as the movie goes let me tell you the story, even though is simplistic enough for being based on a sport, is not what makes it good. What makes it good are some things which you start feeling 10 minutes into the movie and lasts till the interval, things which the movie portrays best. Anybody who has ever played for a team would understand what I’m talking about and which is why I told my friend that I am going to write a post about the movie rite after the first half (He was surprised and told me at least to wait till the end of the movie).

First is the feeling that I described above, how a team is made of different individualities and still is a single entity.

Second is something which I want to point out to some people who say they are fans, fire crackers and rejoice when the team wins and still when the team loses act as if it has disgraced the country or something, or when a player hasn’t played as expected or loses on the verge of winning say that the play had been fixed and insult that player. Yes, based on the player’s skill, he could have made it, the team could’ve won, and fans have every right to expect the team or the player to do well but if it loses don’t mean that it hasn’t given all it got. Trust me, when a player (team) gets on the field, the only thing in his heart is to give it all he got, and the feeling is so strong you can see it in his eyes. You can see his love for the game and the country when he fights to stay on the team. When you get right down to it, the probability of winning to losing is always 50-50.

Third is how sometimes religion gets in the way, no wait its how people bring religion in the way. I wouldn’t have told this if I hadn’t experienced it. People have asked questions, as a result of me having a muslim name, like “When did you come here from Pakistan (Pakistan se kab aaya?)”, feels like breaking their nose right then and there and remind them that once Pakistan was a part of India which existed long before Pakistan was formed. People should understand, however casual these questions are they hurt the patriotism that we have. I personally don’t believe in any religion and when people ask I say first I’m an Indian. As the character (girl from Manipur) rightly says “How would you feel if you were treated as a guest in your own country?” (aapko kaisa lagega agar apne hi desh mein mehman banaye gaye ho?).

Fourth is how there still exists male dominance in not only sports but other areas too. In these cases I would like only to say that times are changing or rather have changed a long time back. People should change too. As for what women can do, I will not tell anything, the scene from Mc Donald’s and the second half of the movie says it all.

Its for all these points that the movie is good. It’s a must watch to any person who has ever played in a team and to anyone who is an Indian. Even though the movie bears similarities to other movies, it’s the Indian charm that make is different.

This post is outside my usual style of writing, but once you read it you will understand why it fits under the given title and has the full right to belong to this blog.

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