It’s been 8 years since Shah Rukh Khan‘s Chak De! India released and blew our minds. I remember watching it on Independence Day, in a packed theatre with people whistling at every epic scene (especially during sattar minute). This movie had everything an Indian wanted to watch on such a special day! That’s why on its 8th anniversary, here are 8 things you MIGHT not know about this classic. Check it out.
1) Chak De’s writer Jaideep Sahni got the idea for the script when he read a small story about a women’s hockey team in the newspaper.
2) The Chak De girls (as they were popularly known) were trained in a hockey camp for 4 months so that their game didn’t look artificial in the movie.
3) John Abraham was the first choice for Shah Rukh’s role.
4) Salman Khan was offered the lead role too, but he rejected the movie due to creative differences.
5) Freida Pinto auditioned for a role in the film, but she later chose to do Slumdog Millionaire instead.
6) The film’s legacy was such that the Indian Hockey Federation was suspended in 2008 to revamp the state of the sport in the country.
7) Former hockey player Aslam Sher Khan was appointed by the Indian Olympic Association to head a committee which replaced the Indian Hockey Federation.
He stated in an interview, “We have to make a Team India as you have seen in Bollywood blockbuster Chak De! India. There are players from several parts of the country. We have to unite them to make a powerful force“.
8) Despite popular belief that the film was based on Mir Ranjan Negi’s life, writer Jaideep Sahni believes that the similarities between Negi and his character – Kabir Khan’s life were a co-incidence.
Chak De! India was hands down one of the best movies made in Bollywood. Would love to see SRK in such an avatar again. Shimit Amin, where are you?