Srinivas Padma: Personal Musings on Life, Growth, and Connections

CHAK DE INDIA CAST: Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malavade and DIRECTOR: Shimit Amin Chak De India is a paint-by-numbers sports movie, dozens have come out of Hollywood by now. The formula puts tremendous obstacles in the path of a bunch of underdogs, they overcome all, silence the naysayers and win. Shimit Amin (inspired by Miracle and other similar films) takes a bit of a chance by making a film about hockey in a country that cares only about cricket - a point he makes here too. Then, it's women's hockey, which nobody cares about, not even the authorities who should. Into this he stirs in the masala of national integration and patriotism and it's an almost potent mix - but for the predictability at every step. (Just one exception - the girls' match with the men's hockey team.) Kabir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) , former hockey team captain, hounded out as a "traitor" with accusations of throwing a match to Pakistan, returns seven years later and wants to coach

Shah Rukh Khan's bunch of young and fiesty women hockey players are ready to hit the screens on Friday when Chak De India releases all over. The film revolves around the story of an Indian women's hockey team , that goes on to win a World Cup. Real life women hockey players are now hoping that it gives their sport a big boost. There were initial reports that Vidya Stokes, the President of the Indian Women's Hockey Federation was unhappy with the on-screen portrayal of the players. But it now seems that it was a clear case of misunderstanding. "She was asked if women's hockey is zero, and if they're being shown as hero, so she obviously reacted to it. Everyone knows the results, and my girls are doing very well, that's a fact. So neither are we unhappy, nor have we asked for a separate screening. We have no hassles with Yashraj at all," said Amrit Bose, Secretary, IWHF. The much-awaited blockbuster is the tale of a former Indian hockey goalkeeper, pla