"Chak De! India" have the potential to give a new lease of life to hockey in India

In a country that eats, drinks and sleeps cricket, a movie on hockey certainly bucks the trend. But when Shah Rukh Khan waves the magic stick saying "Chak De! India", the audience stands up and applauds.

Sans glamour, romance and even a leading lady, King Khan plays the Indian women's hockey team coach who boosts the spirit of the girls, trains them and leads them to success - all the while rousing passions for the much maligned national game.

Ajit Pal Singh, former captain of the Indian hockey team and an Olympian, believes movies like "Chak De! India" have the potential to give a new lease of life to hockey in India.

"I am sure that more movies like 'Chak De' can attract more youngsters to hockey. When I was young, cricket and hockey had an equal following but today cricket has clearly surpassed hockey," Singh told IANS.

Singh, however, believes the interest kindled in the game can be maintained only with the help of institutional support. "The place where players are made and passions are lit is school. In fact, there are many schools that have good hockey teams but they never stick together to play on at a later stage.

"The government should step in and encourage schools to maintain their hockey teams. Also the conception that hockey is not as glamorous, doesn't attract sponsors and doesn't offer as much money as cricket, should be removed. Only then will more youngsters take this game more seriously," Singh said.

"It is the number one sport. Unfortunately it has lost its popularity in India. But hopefully such a medium can bring back the glory of the game." Adam Wallish, a member of the Australian Hockey Board, said the film had the potential to revive interest in the game.

"The film will give a much-needed boost to Indian hockey, given the fact that it is going through one of its darkest phases," Wallish said. Despite being the national game, the Indian government had demoted hockey from the 'priority' to the 'general' category of sports because of the continuous poor showing of the national team in all major tournaments in recent years.

However, the successes at the 16th Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Malaysia in May and at last month's Champions Challenge Cup in the Netherlands, where India won the bronze, were a ray of hope for hockey lovers.

After watching the movie, most people are sure that it will definitely attract more young people to the game.

Ananya Mukherjee who had gone to watch the film with her husband can't help praising it to the skies.

"It was a wonderful movie and I can probably watch it 10 times more! This is, frankly, one of Shah Rukh's best performances and via him, I am sure hockey will regain its lost glory and encourage youngsters to take it up," she said.

Aneeta Mehta, a public relations executive, said: "Shah Rukh is good, there's no doubt about it. But the rest of the team - the girls - were superb too. Hailing from different states, they portrayed the typical challenges a team faces in building the team spirit."

Close on the heels of "Chak de! India" is coming up another sports movie, "Goal". A John Abraham and Arshad Warsi starrer, this movie plays around the central theme of football.

Some other Indian movies based on sports that have done very well are "Lagaan", "Iqbal" and "Awwal Number", "Hip Hip Hurray" and "Saheb".

Source: NowRunning

"Shah Rukh Khan can give impetus to Indian hockey", Olympian Aslam Sher Khan

Indian hockey might soon have patronage of Bollywood superstars with veteran players trying to grab the opportunity provided by Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Chak De India' to revive the national game.

"Shah Rukh Khan can give impetus to Indian hockey and revive the game that was slowly and surely struck down from hearts of millions of people after reaching zenith of popularity during 1975 World Cup," Olympian Aslam Sher Khan told PTI here.

Having found a ray of hope to revive the game, the former player said he has written to the SRK requesting him to become a 'brand ambassador' of the sport.

Khan played a stellar role in India's World Cup win. His father was an equally popular hockey player and part of the Indian Olympic squad on several occasions.

Aslam said 'Chak De India' has attracted young sportspersons towards hockey and the the trend could be explored to regain the lost glory.

"After Shah Rukh's effort, it looks to me that the time for hockey which had come to a standstill, has started ticking again," Khan said.

The golden era for hockey will return following an endeavour by the actor who might act as a catalyst to move the youth to take up hockey seriously, he hoped.

Source: PressTrustofIndia

SRK's 'Mast Kalandar'

If presence of Akshay, Ritiesh and Fardeen along with a cute kid wasn't enough, a slew of entertaining tracks ensured that the film saw an increase in eyeballs as it neared it's release. The item number featuring an 'All girls Band' took the promotion to a different level altogether while some genuinely funny promos on the small screen have already been popular amongst all age groups.

So what do producer Sajid Nadiadwala and director Sajid Khan do? They go for the kill by roping in Shahrukh Khan for a very special appearance in the film and the first thing which King Khan does is sing and dance.

Yes, for HEYY BABYY, apart from playing an important part in the film, he also features in a rocking fusion qawalli 'Mast Kalandar' which is set to tune by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. The sets are as glossy as they get in a Chopra/Johar film while SRK's towering presence ensures that the frames reach a different high as he dances along with Akshay and Ritiesh.

No wonder, HEYY BABYY continues to create a rocking impression as it takes huge strides towards it's 24th August release.

Source: IndiaGlitz

SRK's love interest in Chak De ! India

After watching Yash Chopra’s Chak De India directed by Shimit Aman, I am now sure that there is hope as far as Hindi Cinema is concerned.

Chak De India makes a riveting viewing and when the film is on you do not even feel like going to the loo. Shah Rukh Khan who had mesmerized me with his natural acting when he had sauntered in with Raj Kanwar’s Deewana almost seventeen years ago has actually ‘acted’ in a film of his after a long time.

It is great to see Shah Rukh Khan in great form as a coach whose singular am is to train the women hockey team in Chak De India. He does not carry with him his typical mannerisms as a star. He does not cavort around the trees with any nubile nymphet. In fact, there is no leading lady for Shah Rukh Khan in Chak De India though there is a veiled reference to his affair with Vidya Malavade. I am told that though Shimit had shot a flash back sequence of SRK with Vidya, it was edited out keeping in mind the tight narrative of the film, since after two debacles like Tara Rum Pum and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Yashraj Films did not want to take yet another panga with the audience.

With Chak De India , SRK has at last come of age, as an actor. SRK has always been frank and does not mince words when he chooses to give you an interview. Kudos to SRK for going on record stating that it was a different experience for him to work with most of the sixteen young girls who had acted in the film with him since they must have been around six yearsold when he had made his debut seventeen years back.

Like Parineeta and Lage Raho Munnabhai earlier and Chak De India now, like SRK, I also have had a reality check and am beginning to feel ancient, like SRK. Because Sagarika Ghatge who has rendered a brilliant performance for a first timer in Chak De India as Chandigarh‘s hockey player Preeti Sabharwal happens to be the daughter of my good friend Vijay Ghatge who had directed Shubh Yatra earlier. Though Vijay does not want Sagarika to be known as the daughter of the director who had made Shubh Yatra, I have told Vijay that Sagarika need not be ashamed to admit that she is his daughter since he had made an off beat film like Shubh Yatra and not a C grade film like say Reshma Ki Jawani.

Time For a Reality Check in Bollywood!

The new generation is now all set to rock Bollywood in a big way. Chak De India!

Source: Afternoon & DespatchCourier

My dad taught me is never to dislike anyone : Sahah Rukh Khan

He’s the son of a freedom fighter, a self-made man, highly secular and hugely successful…Shah Rukh Khan is arguably the perfect icon for the children of Free India

‘My dad, the freedom fighter’

My father passed away when I was 15. Before that, dad used to take me to meet a lot of freedom fighters who used to gather every weekend. These meetings had the likes of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and they used to discuss that era in such detail that it is all embedded in my memory. They would meet at places like Karol Bagh, Jama Masjid, drink kawa and chat. Dad used to talk to me like a friend and tell me about their freedom struggle - the time they spent in the jail, about partition and a whole lot of things. I keep those memories close to my heart like a treasure. The children post my generation, like my own children, would be unfortunately completely out of touch. The best thing my dad taught me is never to dislike anyone. He not even once demeaned the status of the British, but at the same time he had absolute high regard for people like Subhash Chandra Bose and others. Dad would read out poems and explain it to me since I didn’t know Urdu. He just wanted me to be a part of that history, and thanks to him, I am.

‘Secularism is in your upbringing’

Secularism is something you learn at home. I was made to read the Koran at home. I learnt about Christianity in school. I was brought up in a Punjabi locality, literally brought up by the Aroras, Diwans and Chabras. I have all the practical knowledge about Hindu festivals. I married Gauri, a Hindu girl. I have had an absolutely normal childhood since children don’t believe in any religion. My parents were naturally secular. Today, I like to read to my kids about Prophet Mohammad, Ramayana and stories of Christianity.

‘I cannot afford to crib about India’

I like everything about India. I like the bad roads, pot holes, uncontrollable rains, corruption in places, the bad traffic…I like all that India offers. I am glad that India, unlike some foreign countries, is not mechanised. I am glad there is sadness and poverty in this country, which makes me understand how humane we are and how plastic some other countries are. I love coming to India from wherever I am. Dad used to say that lets be proud of what you have, because we make our own cars, ambassadors at that time, while lot many developed countries export cars.

I love being rooted to reality. At the end of the day, neither you nor I have had a rich lifestyle and most of us come from a lower middle class. I love the fact that that India is still so pure that we still get excited by smallest of things. Big cars and big homes don’t turn me on; I still get turned on by small pleasures like meeting friends and having a cosy dinner with them. Just the other day, some friends got together impromptu to celebrate the success of ‘Chak De’. It was so much better than a big impersonal party.

‘All we need is education’

We need educated youngsters who believe in the winning mantra. When I was much younger, I trained for parachute jumping for my television serial ‘Fauji’. I had to jump across ten feet, but my trainer would say learn to jump 80 feet, only then you will be able to manage 15 feet. So, we all need to aim higher and for that, education is a must. Not all of us will get ready made opportunities, but we need to aim for the best. There is no harm in being materialistic. For one to lead a comfortable life, one has to be materialistic and aim for success. I truly believe in winning at all costs except dishonesty.

By: Shubha Shetty-Saha Source: DNAIndia

Chak De India sizzles at multiplexes

Business Talk With Taran Adarsh

Winning critical acclaim is one thing. Raking in big money at the box-office is another. It's not right to mix the two. Let me come to the point right away. CHAK DE INDIA has won tremendous acclaim from all quarters. It's an amazing film in all respects. In fact, the makers deserve brownie points for making an unconventional film with the topmost star of Bollywood. But box-office is a different story altogether…

CHAK DE INDIA started slow, picked up on Saturday and showed a jump on Sunday. At multiplexes of big centres, especially at Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, the film has had a glorious weekend. But the subject and its execution limits it to big city audiences. It's not a film that holds universal appeal [a fact seconded by the Overseas figures]. That explains why its business at single screens ranges from average to below average.

Had CHAK DE INDIA embarked on a 90% + start everywhere [ideally, it should've started with a bang, given the fact that the two giants - YRF and SRK - had been teamed after a hiatus; it can't get bigger than that!] and with Saturday and Sunday figures matching those of Friday, CHAK DE INDIA would've been declared a massive Hit.

But CHAK DE INDIA started on a 40% - 60% note at several screens, but was 20% - 30% at several centres too. Reports from Punjab say that CHAK DE INDIA had a 10% - 20% start at some stations. Things did improve over the weekend, but Monday onwards, while the multiplexes of big centres are performing well [60% +], at centres like Indore [one of the key barometers], the collections at multiplexes on Monday were at par [or lower] with Friday. Have a quick look at the Indore figures -

PVR
Fri - 1,28,000 Sat - 1,89,000 Sun - 2,10,500 Mon - 1,06,600 Tue - 1,12,000
Velocity
Fri - 70,100 Sat - 1,23,000 Sun - 1,69,500 Mon - 43,000 Tue - 56,000
Inox
Fri - 76,000 Sat - 1,16,500 Sun - 2,14,000 Mon - 565,000 Tue - 70,000
Adlabs
Fri - 1,01,200 Sat - 1,63,000 Sun - 1,81,800 Mon - 74,000 Tue - 81,200

Wednesday, 15th August being Independence Day holiday, CHAK DE INDIA got a big boost and the business at multiplexes was impressive.

So what's the final verdict on CHAK DE INDIA? It's good at multiplexes of big centres. In Mumbai, Delhi, Mysore and also a few circuits where multiplexes do contribute to the booty, it stands a good chance of raking in money. Also, it all depends on how it fares in its second weekend.

Source: IndiaFM

Shah Rukh´s co-stars are happy

Model-actress Vidya Malavde, who plays the goalkeeper-captain of the Hockey team, says "It was a fantastic experience working with SRK and the Yashraj banner. We all had a fabulous time and I guess it shows in the film as well. Shah Rukh Khan is a magnificent actor and a good human being and he really went out his way to remove our nervousness and make us feel comfortable on the sets."

She added she was overwhelmed at the response the film has generated and expressed confidence that she would do better work in future.

Sagarika Ghatge (a national athlete), who plays 'Preeti Sabarwal', said that she was missing hockey practice terribly and so she went ahead and got herself a hockey stick to remind her of the fitness trend that her life had got used to during the shoot.

Source: PlanetBollywood

Chak De India has proved to be a surprise of the season

All talks revolved around CHAK DE INDIA in the week gone by.
And no, for a change (thankfully), there weren't mixed reports that were making the rounds around the town. No one stood up and said that 'maza nahi aaya'! In fact it was heartening to see that both industry as well as audience was unanimous in hailing it as a landmark film for everyone involved.

And no, it wasn't just a case of only critics giving it a 4 star rating and audience appreciating it just for an 'effort'. Instead the film has proved to be a wholesome massy entertainer with even commoners accepting it wholeheartedly with feedback ranging from very good to excellent.

The film opened to a positive note and by the time Friday dawned, the word of mouth had spread like a wild fire. As the nation woke up on Saturday morning, the SMSs and calls were the order of the day as everyone acknowledged the fact that Shimit Amin and Jaideep Sahni had done which other film makers had mainly tried in the past when it came to making a film for the house of Yash Raj Films.

They ensured that a film was made which stayed rooted to it's theme without being trapped in the world of glitz and glamour. A win for Shimit, Jaideep and of course Shahrukh Khan without whom CHAK DE INDIA wouldn't have been what it is today, the film has proved to be a surprise of the season and is poised to be a big hit in the coming weeks.

By: Joginder Tuteja Source: IndiaGlitz

Shah Rukh Khan's Independence Day message is ' DO '

On the eve of India 's 60 years of independence, star performer Shah Rukh Khan comes out with a simple message of two letters ‘DO'.

He said, “It's about getting up and doing things whatever it takes. I did not think of this as lines in a script. I am not a thinker. I'll read about something and do it.”

Source: IndiaTarget

SRK the Boss

Post Rang de Basanti's selction as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars, the makers of Lage Raho Munnabhai are now routing for the film at the Oscars as an independent entry.

Going by the global appeal of the film as it deals with non-violence, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra has decided to send Lage Raho Munnabhai to the Oscars as an independent entry in the US.

Ken Naz of Eros International, US, is in the process of preparing the relevant documents to apply for the film's entry at the Oscars.

"The record number of fan mails that we have received worldwide have supported our belief and inspired us to go ahead and send the film to the Academy as an independent entry," Chopra said.

Source: Rediff India