A New Shahrukh Khan

Rating: 6/10 (11 August 2007)

Chak De brings out a new Shahrukh Khan or probably the brings back the one we saw in Swades. He is the actor here, though his being the biggest star of the times ensured a full house when I saw Chak De this morning.
Chak De is a sports film. That itself makes it a very rare film to come out of Bollywood. The director Shimit Amin and writer Jaideep Sahni venture out where very few dare in Mumbai. And, they have come out trumps.
The film does many things which probably should inspire many in the film industry. First and foremost is the need to do original and innovative work. The film leaps out of the routine run-of-the-mill productions of Hindi film industry, with class. Second, give their due to the character roles. Write them out with focus and intention. It is not only the lead roles that need to be chiseled well. The girls in the film carry it forward as much as Shahrukh Khan.
The film is edited very well. It has pace and flow.
Finally, Shahrukh Khan. This film may well be the start of his second innings. Earlier stars (Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar, etc) never knew what to do during their middle-ages. Bachchan did trash films like Toofan, Jadugar, etc. Script-writers did not know what to do with such stars. Shahrukh Khan is fast approaching that phase of his career, if not already there. He has opened doors for himself. From what I saw in Chak De, I'm waiting in anticipation for things to come. This, in spite of the fact that I'm not a Shahrukh Khan fan as yet.
Chak De is the best film that has come out this summer. A must watch !
P.S: Hoping Chak De does its bit to revive sporting spirit in the country and makes us see beyond cricket.