Amplifying women’s voices through movies

Celebrate International Women’s Day with a review of six empowering films amplifying women's voices and experiences worldwide.

I remember as a child, whenever ‘Chak De! India’ played on the television, I would most likely end up spending the next few hours watching the film without fail. The moment that I would await for the most would be a scene where the Indian women’s hockey team are taken out for lunch on their coach’s final day before he is to leave. A massive brawl breaks out after a few men pass unsavoury comments towards a few of the players. The scene develops in such a way that there is an intensity that keeps you constantly rooting for the team, who ultimately find a sense of togetherness that they seemed to lack for so long. It is in this singular moment that Chak De! India became one of my favourite films growing up, and that is not to say that the rest of the film is not filled with glorious moments. Who can forget the iconic penalty shootout sequence, which makes time stand still, each second seems to feel like an eternity itself?

Yes, the film does center around the protagonist who is a male coach, but the true heart of the film lies in the story of the team players of the Indian women’s hockey team. Chak De! India was a film that was born out of observation and alarming fear. Jaideep Sahni, the masterful screenwriter, came across a short newspaper article that covered the victory of the Indian women’s hockey team at the Commonwealth games in 2002. Upon further uncovering, he was shocked at the state of sporting infrastructure for women.

The title itself is inspired by a martial cry that Sikh soldiers often would shout out loud while lifting logs to build bridges at the time of war campaigns. The way “Chak De!” is used in the film is not only fitting, but deeply moving, and can give one goosebumps.

The film captures the spirit of India through its representation from across the country. The players may be from different states, but as Coach Kabir Khan (played masterfully by Shah Rukh Khan) says, their nationality as Indians comes first before anything else. The group of women are at first not at all in a spirit of togetherness and the seemingly vengeful coach, who is labelled as a traitor attempts to seek a sense of unity amongst the group. His strictness is balanced by a deeper sense of humanity that comes through in poignant moments throughout the film.

The film shows the gender dynamics and dismissive nature of men towards women in sports, which only fuels viewers further to root for the team to prove not just their fellow countrymen, but the entire world wrong.

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