MUMBAI: Shah Rukk Khan's Chak De was released nearly 10 years ago. It was a runaway success. In fact, it motivated filmmakers to create sports-based films. However, politics seems to have been woven into narratives since then.
Sports dramas like Sultan and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag focus on the nation's glory in an international context, but they are wrapped up in personal stories. The hoisting of the national flag, customary salute, and tears of pride have become predictable.
The focus changes from the sporting spirit to the enemity with the neighbouring country.
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Akshay Kumar's Gold too follows this formula. Gold is based in the 1930s and 1940s and traces the golden era of Indian hockey through the journey of Tapan Das, a young assistant manager whose aim is to make his team play for independent India. Based on true events, Gold is about India's first Olympic Games hockey win as a free country.
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We agree that the story is one that deserves to be told, but why does it have to include hyper-nationalism? Why does it need to be about defeating the British in their own country, rather than a milestone for India?
Akshay's dialogues like 'We will avenge 200 years of subjugation' and 'We won't say Long Live the King; we'll sing our own national anthem' just go to show that the film plays it too safe.
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We miss the fine nuances of Chak De and the layered personality of coach Kabir Khan. It is sad to see that Bollywood has chosen full-blown patriotism with hardly any focus on the sport itself and few to no greys.
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