Chak De- Critical Review

English: Gender Studies

Anannya Tayal
21BBAP075

Chak De (2007), happens to be one of those rarest movies which does touch on themes of
nationalism and patriotism, but without shoving it down one’s throat. The fact that it does not
shy away from showcasing the actual conditions of women’s sports in the country, the
subversive potential of choosing Kabir Khan as the protagonist who is shamed for losing a
match with ‘Pakistan’, xenophobia within India and women’s status in their intimate
relationships with men, all come together to set the stage for women to relate to the nation not
by servitude and pure sacrifice, but by forcefully carving out a space for themselves which the
patriarchal Indian state took. Alongside that there is a very conscious commentary on what the
Indian Hockey Team of women face not only within their country but outside it as well, and
how pertinent racism is. But again, very rarely it runs into the risk of becoming a hyper
nationalist jargon, where Indians are always oppressed by the colonizer.
What feels like a breath of fresh air in the movie is a very honest and raw portrayal of women as
humans, with their flaws and negatives intact. There is an element of ‘sisterhood’ but it is not
all encompassing, where all women share exactly the same issues and backgrounds. There is an
emphasis on difference. What also seems very important which needs to be pointed out is the
fact that Kabir shares a very professional relationship with these girls. To not see a sexualised
imagery of these players through Kabir’s lens was important because more often than not
women players face objectification and harassment from their coaches and trainers. The
‘human’ view of these girls was again appreciative, because even feminist movies, or the ones
aiming to be one, certain times are unable to go beyond the gender identity of the characters,
not to prove a point, but to keep focusing on the gender, and hiding the person behind.
Looking back, the movie seems like a very important work on sports, women, nation and deep
human emotions of shame, fear, love, friendship, grudge, resentment, pride and prejudice.
What can be criticized rightfully is a very conscious erasure of ‘caste’ working as a dominant
framework too, when it comes to women’s spaces or any space at all. There is one or two
mentions of women of some tribal dominated region facing stereotyping by a Punjabi girl, but
beyond that there is an erasure of the idea of caste. This is a common trait in most nationalist
works, where the identity of ‘Indian’ has to be manufactured, and while it might mean that
everyone gives up any other identity framework, that is not the case. Another critique is
something feminists point out is the character of ‘male saviour’ trope running in most
mainstream movies- Pink, Dangal, Jawan et cetera. It would be interesting to see how such
movies would perform if we switched the male protagonist to a woman- specially Chak De.