Extremely formulaic but also quite enjoyable.

Rating: 7/10 (3 October 2012)

"Chak De India!" is a sports film, and like MOST other sports films, it's nearly 100% predictable. However, while it very closely follows the expected formula and has many of the usual sports films clichés, it manages to be enjoyable and worth while.
The film begins with a world championship match between the Indian and Pakistani field hockey teams. Kabir misses what seems like a sure goal and then he is treated abominably by the Indian press and his community--as if he WANTED his team to lose! Seven years pass. Now Kabir wants to redeem himself but not as a player but as a coach for a new Indian WOMEN'S field hockey team. His odds look pretty much impossible except for one important thing--it's a sports film and you pretty much know how it's all going to occur! But, as I said above, the plot does offer a bit more. Some nice performances and a few tiny plot twists help it to be a good film.
By the way, although you might expect the usual song and dance numbers like you usually see in Bollywood films, this one has none. My aunt was actually pretty disappointed. She really liked the film but wanted the musical numbers as well!