Chak De! India is a 2007 Indian sports drama film directed by Shimit Amin, written by Jaideep Sahni, and produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. Shah Rukh Khan stars as Kabir Khan, a fictional former captain of the Indian men's national field hockey team who becomes the coach of the Indian women's national field hockey team. The film also features a cast of 16 actresses, including both professional and non-professional hockey players, and the soundtrack was composed by Salim–Sulaiman.

The film delves into themes of religious prejudice and sexism. It follows Kabir Khan, a disgraced hockey player ostracized from the sport due to religious bias following a tragic loss to Pakistan. Seven years later, he seeks redemption by coaching the Indian women's national hockey team, aiming to transform 16 players into a championship-winning team.

Sahni was inspired to write the script for Chak De! India after reading about the Indian women's national field hockey team's victory at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. While Kabir Khan's struggles bear some resemblance to the real-life experiences of hockey player Mir Ranjan Negi, Sahni was unaware of Negi's story when writing the screenplay, which is a work of fiction. The characters, though inspired by the real team and coaches, were created by Sahni. On the advice of Maharaj Krishan Kaushik, the then-coach of the women's hockey team, Sahni invited Negi to join the film's production team. They held workshops to train the actors in hockey and the players in acting, with Kaushik and Negi coaching the cast over six months.

Chak De! India was released worldwide on August 10, 2007, coinciding with India's 60th Independence Day. The film grossed ₹109 crore (US$26.36 million) on a ₹20 crore (US$4.84 million) budget, making it the third-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2007. It received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for its direction, story, screenplay, dialogues, feminist themes, and performances, with Shah Rukh Khan's portrayal of Kabir Khan receiving high praise. The film won several awards, including the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the 55th National Film Awards. At the 53rd Filmfare Awards, Chak De! India received ten nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Amin), and Best Supporting Actress (Shukla), and won five awards, including Best Film (Critics) and Best Actor (Khan).

Shah Rukh Khan's performance as Kabir Khan is regarded as one of his best, and the title song has become a staple at sports events in India.

Plot Summary

Chak De! India opens in Delhi during the final moments of a Hockey World Cup match between Pakistan and India, with Pakistan leading 1–0. Indian team captain Kabir Khan is fouled, and he takes a penalty stroke. Unfortunately, his shot narrowly misses, leading to India's defeat. Soon after, media outlets circulate a photo of Khan shaking hands and embracing the Pakistani captain. This gesture is misinterpreted, and Khan, a Muslim, is accused of deliberately losing the game out of sympathy for Pakistan. Religious prejudice forces Khan and his mother to leave their ancestral home.

Seven years later, Mr. Tripathi, the head of India's hockey association, discusses the Indian women's hockey team with field hockey advocate Uttam Singh. Tripathi dismisses the team's future, believing that a woman's role is limited to domestic duties. However, Uttam informs him that Kabir Khan wants to coach the team. Though initially skeptical, Tripathi agrees.

Khan takes charge of 16 young women who are fiercely competitive and divided by regional prejudices. Komal Chautala, a village girl from Haryana, clashes with Preeti Sabarwal from Chandigarh; hot-tempered Balbir Kaur from Punjab bullies Rani Dispotta and Soimoi Kerketa, who are from remote villages in Jharkhand. Mary Ralte from Mizoram and Molly Zimik from Manipur face widespread racial discrimination and sexual harassment. Team Captain Vidya Sharma must choose between hockey and her husband's family's expectations, while Preeti's fiancé, Abhimanyu Singh, the vice-captain of the Indian national cricket team, dismisses hockey as irrelevant to their future.

Khan realizes that to make the women champions, he must help them overcome their differences. In his first few days as coach, he benches players who refuse to follow his rules, including Bindiya Naik, the most experienced player. Bindiya repeatedly encourages the others to defy Khan. When she finally succeeds, Khan furiously resigns, but later invites the team and staff to a farewell lunch at McDonald's. During the lunch, local boys harass Mary, leading Balbir to fight back, sparking a brawl between the boys and the team. Khan, recognizing that they are finally united for the first time, stops the staff from intervening. After the fight, the women understand Khan's intentions and ask him to remain their coach.

The team faces new challenges. When Tripathi refuses to send the women's team to Australia for the World Cup, Khan suggests a match against the men's team. Although his team loses, their performance convinces Tripathi to send them to Australia. Bindiya is upset with Khan for selecting Vidya over her as team captain, leading to a 7–0 loss to Australia. When Khan confronts Bindiya about her behavior, she attempts to seduce him, but he rejects her and asks her to stay focused on the game. Khan continues training the women, leading to victories over England, Spain, South Africa, New Zealand, and Argentina. Before their match against South Korea, Khan asks Bindiya to return to the field and break the Korean team's man-to-man marking strategy. Bindiya and Gunjan Lakhani manage to overcome South Korea, advancing to the finals.

In the final, India faces Australia again. Khan urges Komal and Preeti to set aside their differences for the team's sake. Preeti, determined to prove a point to Abhimanyu, aims to become the tournament's top scorer. In the last minutes of the game, India is trailing 1-2 when Komal passes the ball to Preeti, who scores, pushing the game into a penalty shootout. Initially down 2-0, India comes back to win the shootout 3-2, claiming the World Cup against all odds. Upon returning home, the team's families treat them with newfound respect, while Khan, his reputation restored, returns with his mother to their village, where they are welcomed with pride by their formerly hostile neighbors.


Main Cast

Shah Rukh Khan as Kabir Khan
Vidya Malvade as Vidya Sharma
Shilpa Shukla as Bindiya Naik
Nichola Sequeira as Nichola Sequeira
Sagarika Ghatge as Preeti Sabarwal
Chitrashi Rawat as Komal Chautala
Tanya Abrol as Balbir Kaur
Shubhi Mehta as Gunjan Lakhani
Sandia Furtado as Nethra Reddy
Anaitha Nair as Aliya Bose
Arya Menon as Gul Iqbal
Kimi Laldawla as Mary Ralte
Masochon Zimik as Molly Zimik
Kimberly Miranda as Rachna Prasad
Seema Azmi as Rani Dispotta
Nisha Nair as Soimoi Kerketa
Raynia Mascerhanas as Raynia Fernandes
Supporting Cast

Anjan Srivastav as Mr. Vishal Tripathi, the head Indian hockey official
Vibha Chibber as Krishnaji, assistant coach for the Indian women's field hockey team
Javed Khan as Sukhlal
Mohit Chauhan as Uttam Singh, Kabir's former hockey teammate and friend
Vivan Bhatena as Abimanyu Singh, Vice-captain of the Indian national cricket team and Preeti's fiancé
Nakul Vaid as Rakesh Sharma, Vidya's husband
Joyshree Arora as Kabir's motherChak De! India is a 2007 Indian sports drama film directed by Shimit Amin, written by Jaideep Sahni, and produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. Shah Rukh Khan stars as Kabir Khan, a fictional former captain of the Indian men's national field hockey team who becomes the coach of the Indian women's national field hockey team. The film also features a cast of 16 actresses, including both professional and non-professional hockey players, and the soundtrack was composed by Salim–Sulaiman.

The film delves into themes of religious prejudice and sexism. It follows Kabir Khan, a disgraced hockey player ostracized from the sport due to religious bias following a tragic loss to Pakistan. Seven years later, he seeks redemption by coaching the Indian women's national hockey team, aiming to transform 16 players into a championship-winning team.

Sahni was inspired to write the script for Chak De! India after reading about the Indian women's national field hockey team's victory at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. While Kabir Khan's struggles bear some resemblance to the real-life experiences of hockey player Mir Ranjan Negi, Sahni was unaware of Negi's story when writing the screenplay, which is a work of fiction. The characters, though inspired by the real team and coaches, were created by Sahni. On the advice of Maharaj Krishan Kaushik, the then-coach of the women's hockey team, Sahni invited Negi to join the film's production team. They held workshops to train the actors in hockey and the players in acting, with Kaushik and Negi coaching the cast over six months.

Chak De! India was released worldwide on August 10, 2007, coinciding with India's 60th Independence Day. The film grossed ₹109 crore (US$26.36 million) on a ₹20 crore (US$4.84 million) budget, making it the third-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2007. It received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for its direction, story, screenplay, dialogues, feminist themes, and performances, with Shah Rukh Khan's portrayal of Kabir Khan receiving high praise. The film won several awards, including the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the 55th National Film Awards. At the 53rd Filmfare Awards, Chak De! India received ten nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Amin), and Best Supporting Actress (Shukla), and won five awards, including Best Film (Critics) and Best Actor (Khan).

Shah Rukh Khan's performance as Kabir Khan is regarded as one of his best, and the title song has become a staple at sports events in India.

Plot Summary

Chak De! India opens in Delhi during the final moments of a Hockey World Cup match between Pakistan and India, with Pakistan leading 1–0. Indian team captain Kabir Khan is fouled, and he takes a penalty stroke. Unfortunately, his shot narrowly misses, leading to India's defeat. Soon after, media outlets circulate a photo of Khan shaking hands and embracing the Pakistani captain. This gesture is misinterpreted, and Khan, a Muslim, is accused of deliberately losing the game out of sympathy for Pakistan. Religious prejudice forces Khan and his mother to leave their ancestral home.

Seven years later, Mr. Tripathi, the head of India's hockey association, discusses the Indian women's hockey team with field hockey advocate Uttam Singh. Tripathi dismisses the team's future, believing that a woman's role is limited to domestic duties. However, Uttam informs him that Kabir Khan wants to coach the team. Though initially skeptical, Tripathi agrees.

Khan takes charge of 16 young women who are fiercely competitive and divided by regional prejudices. Komal Chautala, a village girl from Haryana, clashes with Preeti Sabarwal from Chandigarh; hot-tempered Balbir Kaur from Punjab bullies Rani Dispotta and Soimoi Kerketa, who are from remote villages in Jharkhand. Mary Ralte from Mizoram and Molly Zimik from Manipur face widespread racial discrimination and sexual harassment. Team Captain Vidya Sharma must choose between hockey and her husband's family's expectations, while Preeti's fiancé, Abhimanyu Singh, the vice-captain of the Indian national cricket team, dismisses hockey as irrelevant to their future.

Khan realizes that to make the women champions, he must help them overcome their differences. In his first few days as coach, he benches players who refuse to follow his rules, including Bindiya Naik, the most experienced player. Bindiya repeatedly encourages the others to defy Khan. When she finally succeeds, Khan furiously resigns, but later invites the team and staff to a farewell lunch at McDonald's. During the lunch, local boys harass Mary, leading Balbir to fight back, sparking a brawl between the boys and the team. Khan, recognizing that they are finally united for the first time, stops the staff from intervening. After the fight, the women understand Khan's intentions and ask him to remain their coach.

The team faces new challenges. When Tripathi refuses to send the women's team to Australia for the World Cup, Khan suggests a match against the men's team. Although his team loses, their performance convinces Tripathi to send them to Australia. Bindiya is upset with Khan for selecting Vidya over her as team captain, leading to a 7–0 loss to Australia. When Khan confronts Bindiya about her behavior, she attempts to seduce him, but he rejects her and asks her to stay focused on the game. Khan continues training the women, leading to victories over England, Spain, South Africa, New Zealand, and Argentina. Before their match against South Korea, Khan asks Bindiya to return to the field and break the Korean team's man-to-man marking strategy. Bindiya and Gunjan Lakhani manage to overcome South Korea, advancing to the finals.

In the final, India faces Australia again. Khan urges Komal and Preeti to set aside their differences for the team's sake. Preeti, determined to prove a point to Abhimanyu, aims to become the tournament's top scorer. In the last minutes of the game, India is trailing 1-2 when Komal passes the ball to Preeti, who scores, pushing the game into a penalty shootout. Initially down 2-0, India comes back to win the shootout 3-2, claiming the World Cup against all odds. Upon returning home, the team's families treat them with newfound respect, while Khan, his reputation restored, returns with his mother to their village, where they are welcomed with pride by their formerly hostile neighbors.

Cast

After the film's release, the media began referring to the 16 actresses who portrayed the players as the "Chak De! Girls." The panel of judges at the Screen Awards also used this term, awarding the Best Supporting Actress award to the "Chak De Girls" at the 14th Screen Awards in 2008.

Main Cast

Shah Rukh Khan as Kabir Khan
Vidya Malvade as Vidya Sharma
Shilpa Shukla as Bindiya Naik
Nichola Sequeira as Nichola Sequeira
Sagarika Ghatge as Preeti Sabarwal
Chitrashi Rawat as Komal Chautala
Tanya Abrol as Balbir Kaur
Shubhi Mehta as Gunjan Lakhani
Sandia Furtado as Nethra Reddy
Anaitha Nair as Aliya Bose
Arya Menon as Gul Iqbal
Kimi Laldawla as Mary Ralte
Masochon Zimik as Molly Zimik
Kimberly Miranda as Rachna Prasad
Seema Azmi as Rani Dispotta
Nisha Nair as Soimoi Kerketa
Raynia Mascerhanas as Raynia Fernandes
Supporting Cast

Anjan Srivastav as Mr. Vishal Tripathi, the head Indian hockey official
Vibha Chibber as Krishnaji, assistant coach for the Indian women's field hockey team
Javed Khan as Sukhlal
Mohit Chauhan as Uttam Singh, Kabir's former hockey teammate and friend
Vivan Bhatena as Abimanyu Singh, Vice-captain of the Indian national cricket team and Preeti's fiancé
Nakul Vaid as Rakesh Sharma, Vidya's husband
Joyshree Arora as Kabir's mother