A surprisingly effective sports flick

Rating: 9/10 (23 November 2007)

I did not know much about this film before watching it a few days ago. I try to watch SRK films mainly because they are usually well made and I grew up watching his flicks thru the 90's.
So this film performance by SRK is on par with one of his best performances from Swades. It is an understated performance and shows that the man can be a very good "actor" when the role is suitable. Another first for SRK was there was no heroine in the film for him to sing songs to. I was quite surprised that the producers decided to put artistic merit over sticking out of place songs thru out the film.
The performances by all of the girls playing on the team were effective. Although the outcome is predictable, it is still an exciting finish to the movie and should stand as one of the best sports movies to come out of India since Lagaan.
Here is hoping that the Indian film industry begins to take notice that unique cinema can still reap huge financial benefits while enlightening the audience.
And SRK should continue to strive for more demanding roles that test his skills as an actor. I am sure he still has a few surprises left in terms of his acting that we will witness over the coming years.
Chak De India!!!