Bollywood has always been used as a source to reach the audience through commercial movies but in the last decade, movies have been centered around social issues, though they are structured in a commercial way. For example, English Vinglish, Taare Zameen Par, Article 15 etc.
One of the major themes which has been explored in the last year or two has been the theme of nationalism. Films like Uri - the Surgical Strike, Tiger Zinda hai, Mission Mangal have been released.
Nationalism as a plot for films has been used in India
since its independence or may be even before that. The purpose of this paper is
to discuss how the concept of nationalism has been depicted in the film ‘Chak
De! India’. The movie was released in 2007, and was directed by Shimit Amin.
I have analyzed the construction of patriotism and the
use of nationalism and patriotic fervour in the movie through some of the
important characters. The analysis of nationalism in the movie is divided into
three parts.
In the first part, the first half of the movie will be
analyzed to bring forward the subtle prejudices against certain Indians states
and the problematic focus on mainstream regions in every aspect in the big
screen. The film is loosely based on the life of a former male Indian hockey team
player, ‘Mir Ranjan Negi’.
Negi was blamed for the loss of the 1982 Asian Games
final against Pakistan. He was the goalkeeper and the media accused him of
taking bribes. But the film does more than just use Negi’s story as the
backdrop for fast paced drama.
It hurls up questions regarding the country, the
nationality of its characters and their loyalties to the country. In spite of
the fact that there are no terrorists in this film, it is useful for breaking
down the depiction of a patriot, particularly in the post 2000 era.
Chak De! India’s real draw was that it was ‘an
unbridled ode to patriotism without any hysterical chest-beating’ (Kazmi, 2007),
‘a solid ensemble film about sports – one that’s not about a few players saving
the day but about the triumph of teamwork’ (Kamath, 2007).
It is a ‘patriotic heart warmer that scores some
old-fashioned entertainment goals’ (Elley, 2007).The Muslim figure who is (and
perforce must be) more nationalist than any Hindu would ever be is united with
a' team' of hockey players from various parts of India who come together for
the greater good (glory) of India.
The film joins two ideational assemblages to give a
telling analysis on the place of communalism and regionalism in the present
national imaginary. Chak De! plays upon the respect and disgrace of one
individual and his vindication towards the end through the game that he
cherishes and lives for.
Conflicts and Resolutions in the Film
Now coming to the central conflict of the film and its
resolution, the conflict is stated in the opening sequence of the film. This
conflict is between Kabir Khan and the nation. He is termed a traitor after
India loses the final because of his missed penalty stroke.
Kabir Khan goes from being a patriotic to a traitor in
a matter of a few minutes, this is the underlying conflict in the movie. The
film goes back and forth, in alluding to his lost respect in the public eye as
a result of a shocking story by a journalist.
At first situated inside and outside the stadium, the
area of the conflict very soon becomes the whole nation, he is shunned by the
hockey association and his neighborhood, driving him away from town alongside
his mom.
The conflict is resolved at the end of the movie,
after the final victory of the Indian team. It signifies his victory as a
coach, thus avenging himself and his lost honour.
The second conflict in the film develops when players
come for the registration. Shukla ji, the caretaker at the camp is shocked when
he finds out that players from as far as Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand have
come.
He doesn't comprehend the difference between Tamil and
Telugu. Through him the movie builds up the popular view about the south,
the north-east and the general lack of concern towards states like Jharkhand by
states and individuals closer to Delhi.
The nation which is equated to Delhi and the Hindi
heartland assumes larger proportions; it invokes comprehensiveness as a character
of the state. This contention is additionally worked during the introduction of
the players with the coach.
Each player takes the name of her state except Vidya
who says that she is from India. The message is that the girls are in Delhi to
play for the nation and not as representatives of their states.
Since day one several camps are created amongst the
team members and camaraderie amongst the players is hard to build. One of the
major conflicts between Preeti and Komal is resolved in the last match when
Komal eventually passes the ball to Preeti to hit the winning goal.
This scene demonstrates that the nation is bigger than
individualistic milestones, and the scene is the defining moment of unity in the
team.
Another scene which is demonstrative of nation above
all is when Kabir Khan convinces Bindiya to play in the semi-final against
Korea. (She did not feature in the games after the first match because she had
a rift with the coach).
The coach is a tough task master and treats each
player equally. This does not go well with the senior most team player,
Bindiya. She makes sure that the team is against the coach and starts a
campaign for the coach to step down, Kabir Khan eventually steps down.
However, this leads to the resolution of the earlier conflicts between the team mates and their lack of camaraderie. They unite against him and also to fight eve teasers at the farewell lunch given by the coach at McDonald’s.
To read the remaining analysis of the theme of nationalism in the country, one can refer to the second part found in another article.
Written by – Kshitij Kumar Ojha
Edited by – Daity Talukdar
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