This
article consists of a continuation of the article named ‘The portrayal of
Nationalism in the movie ‘Chak De! India’. To read the first part, please click
here.
1. The
Patriarchy Conflict
The
concept of patriarchy also comes into light in the film. The team was all set
to go into the championship but the association was reluctant to send the team
because of lack of funds. So the coach challenges the men’s team for a match.
The
women's team could only go if they beat the men’s team. The women’s team lost
but not without giving a fight. They were eventually sent to compete in the
championship. The other important conflict which builds tension is between the
players and their families.
The
popular conception of women staying at home is shown through these kinds of
conflicts. Vidya is married and is the goalkeeper of the team, she has a permanent
government job and government accommodation, all by the virtue of being a hockey
player.
Yet her
in-laws would rather have her stay at home than go for the national championship.
Komal’s father also thinks that a girl should stay at home and cook and clean
instead of running in a field with a stick.
Even
the star player Preeti Sabharwal has to face the hypocrisy of a cricketer
boyfriend who not only thinks her sport is equivalent to the rural game called
‘gulli danda’ and goes on to take the decision of their marriage without
consulting her.
All
these conflicts are resolved when the team wins the trophy. Vidya’s father in
law is proud of her as she brought honour and respect to the family, Komal’s
father accepts the capability of his daughter and finally Preeti shatters
Abhimanyu’s male ego by refusing his proposal for marriage.
2. Sequential Arrangement of Elements in the Narrative
The
opening scene uses the scoreboard as its primary peg which grabs the eyes of
the crowd. The stress on the scoreboard makes it clear that the film is about
the game; it shifts consideration from the actors in the scene and makes the
figure on the board increasingly significant.
Once
Kabir Khan returns and is designated as the mentor of the women's team as
opposed to sliding directly to scenes of girls playing hockey the movie rather takes the audience inside the stadium where he has a discussion
with his former team mate, Uttam Singh.
The
discussion uncovers the inspiration driving Kabir's arrival to national hockey
as a mentor. He needs to redeem himself through the women's team. This
arrangement builds up that the film is eventually around one man's battle to
recover his lost respect.
Indeed,
even after this sequence the movie doesn't dive straightforwardly into the
daily practice of the team, but sets aside some time to introduce each member
of the squad. In this manner, it establishes the underlying theme of the nation
and its diversity and draws a parallel in the team.
Bindiya
induces her teammates against the coach. Despite the fact that this is one of
the contentions that emerge in the story, as referred earlier, it doesn't
bother Kabir, for him this satisfies his point of uniting the team members.
The
film moves ahead to a goodbye lunch by the coach where a fight begins as a
result of eve prodding of two team members. The unity that the group had
displayed against the coach resurfaces, only the person at the receiving end is
different.
There
is a reference to eunuchs in this scene. Kabir Khan tells a youngster
assaulting from behind that he should act like a man and attack from the front.
He lets him know there is no space for eunuchs in their hockey.
This
can be interpreted as a source of perspective to nationalists. The nation
doesn’t have space for people without strength to act on its behalf and the
only way to be a good patriot is to be a good man.
The following shot is a silhouette of the team with Kabir Khan in the lead and the players in a V- formation behind him. Connoting that triumph isn't far and that when united they will be successful, regardless of what the odds are against them. In order to read the final piece of the analysis, please refer to the third article on the same.
Written by – Kshitij Kumar Ojha
Edited by – Daity Talukdar
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