Take A Bow.

Rating: 10/10 (20 August 2007)

If someone was to tell you that there is a film which deals with issues like gender bias, nationalism, patriotism, regional discrimination, sports politics and sportsman spirit. You'll say "Naah..!! Sounds like director has bit more than he can chew. This would be a mess with none of the issues being catered adequately." But don't pass the judgment till you have seen Chak De India.
Here is one film which is bound to give you your money's worth no matter with what expectation you entered the theater. Chak De India is not only a sports film. It is film on feminine equality, against regional inequality. It's a film depicting the politics in sports, about the pity state of national sport in the nation, total disinterest, bureaucracy involved in sports authorities. Lack of funds, media support, facilities and about unfettering determination to win despite all these.
Despite dealing with so many issues, the film is never over the top. So you don't have loud patriotic dialogs to infuse sense of patriotism. A coach showing players the way out who introduce themselves as state players and not national players is enough. The film scores both as a hardcore entertainer and a hard hitting social drama. The message is there, loud can clear and so is fun. This will make you smile (at places laugh); make you emotionally charged (at places cry). Film's excitement is sure to give you goosebumps, be the match sequences, the training sessions or any simple confrontations between coach and players.
Shah Rukh Khan as Kabir Khan, the coach who doesn't stop his girls to beat the hell out of eve teasers to inculcate the sense of team, is rock solid. This is easily amongst best performances of his career if not the best. He is never too loud, never too vulnerable. Just made to order for the role. You can not imagine any other actor playing the role. And with him are bunch of 16 unknown faces who surprise with their acting caliber and spontaneity. Apart from being top quality cinema, what Chak De India does is raise hopes for future of Indian Hockey. Now isn't that a winner in itself. Go watch it. They don't make such films often. It's a MUST WATCH.