The moment I feel good , my mind starts looking for excellence in everything. More often that not, the purveyor of such a joy is a piece of art, be it a movie or a book. The most recent paroxysm of emotions was while watching Chak De India.
To start with, it was another movie with the background of sports, where the protagonist seeks to redeem, or truly say, vindicate himself amongst a medley of emoting incidents. There were now-ubiquitous patriotic rhetorics thrown in plenty. There were pretty lasses too with an ample dose of glamour and laughter added. In short, it was a paisa vasool entertainment. But was it excellent?
Hmmm, to say you forth-rightly, it was. The most because it achieved that zone of cinema-making which only great works attain, i.e entertainment coupled with substance. I always believe the single-minded focus, sans any doubt and dither, in the message coming out of 70mm screen, invariably outweighs the temptation of a lucrative falderol in the long run. The movie stayed true to my this theory as it focussed solely on the struggle of an ostracized sportsman to come out good for his country, despite the unjustified and reprehensible treatment meted to him. It wanted to showcase his patriotism, his beliefs , his pain and his ideals. Not anything else.
Not even Shahrukh Khan. Instead here was a much mellowed Kabir Khan. It won't be complete if I don't give a separate paragraph to this role and actor, because I never saw SRK in that. And that's why, he was better, probably amongst the best in his ensemble of works. I am a critic of SRK, no doubt, for the same reason he gives in the movie to the senior players. Being in the vanguard of the film industry, it is also his onus to make it better. I would be fool, if I say he hasn't, for the popularity he has given to it is huge; but he too would be dishonest if he considers that he has done enough meritorious movies becoming of his personality. I hope he is not. For I yearn more of these Chak Des creating history, than his trying to chase history and in turn, becoming one.
