“Film making is perhaps one of the most collaborative things mankind has ever invented. So we are aware that we stand here as representatives of two groups of wonderful people who touched our work and made it what it is”

Thus started Jaipdeep Sahini, who conceived and wrote Chak De India, on his turn to be on the dais during the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2007 Awards function, held at Taj Hotel, New Delhi recently. He continued to say the following in that grand function where country’s who is who were present.

“Maharaj Krishan Kaushik for opening your camp, your training, and your heart and the hearts of your players to us, and for showing us what patriotism, team spirit and determination is in every days’ work and not grand concepts…. “

The entire crowd including sporting icons Kapil Dev and Bishen Singh Bedi, a few Chak De Girls, and Pritamrani Siwach, stood up and applauded, even as the humble coach Kaushik brimmed with happiness on the unexpected accolade heaped on him on such grand mela. It was learnt later that both Kaushik and Pritam were invited for the function at the behest of the writer-director duo of Sahni and Amin.

After this he handed over the mike to the Director Shimit Amin to complete his brief on the other group that made the Chak De film what it is. Amin dwelt on ‘unsung heroes of daily activities’ before receiving the award at the hand of Vice-President of India in the presence of former President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam.

Both Sahni and Amin were declared Entertainer of the Year 2007, one of the six category awards the leading television channel came out after elaborate exercise.

The citation, read out on the dais by Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief of the channel, who also compered the 2-hour programme- it was telecast live — went like this:

‘Shimit Amin for deirecting arguably India’s best idea film of the year, and showing how a simple thought, if handled well, can successfully achieve both popular and critical acclaim’. Jaideep Sahni for scripting a story which raised critical systemtic questions, yet at the same time managed to entertain and inspire the nation, making Chak De a virtual mass inspirational slogan.

However, for the followers of the game and the events, the words that Sahni and the manner he saluted well-respected coach Kaushik should have either come as a shock or virtual eye-opener.

Sahni has made it clear whom he is indebted to for the story to take its realistic shape, and how a coach and his girls interacted and extended him fullest co-operation during his research spell which went almost two years. According to Sahni, all those who are famous now just because of Chak De’s roaring success came into the scene only after the script had been prepared. “I thank only Kaushik, his team girls, coaching staff and no one else. Even the women hockey federation and the Sports Authority of India with whom we were in close touch promised many things but none of them actually helped us. Rahul Singh and Satnam, both international hockey players based in Mumbai, Doctor Shetty, who left a lucrative assignment and came to our help, coach Joshua in Australia were the real guys who sweated with us when we were preparing the girls for the shoots, and during the shooting of the film’.

On prodding on the subject Satnam Kaur – her international career was brief but brilliant – who was recently at Jalandhar where the Senior Nationals was held, did not say much except indicating the NDTV’s half an hour programme ‘Who is the Real Kabir Khan?’ is the reality.

When the Chak De was making box office magic, NDTV ran a group discussion on cricket where Sahni was also invited. He emphatically stated that his idea was not born on the life and times any individual player. He left no one in doubt when he said repeatedly that only a small piece of news story on a great women hockey victory (Commonwealth Games Gold in 2002) sparked in him the idea of Chak De plot.

Subsequently, the channel ran the show which Satnam had mentioned.

Sahni, in particular, is very upset and unhappy our women hockey players, their struggle, their personalities did not get the media attention they deserved. “Even those who run the sports did nothing to encash the climate the film had created. In fact, I and Shimit were sad because when the film was doing well, the condition of women hockey was going the other way. The coach was removed, so many bad things happened, that we were concerned which did not allow us to enjoy the success”, he said.

On the aspect of him remembering Kaushik on the dais, he said: “I and Shimit didn’t do anything extraordinary. This is the least bit of sportsman spirit we could have learnt from the sportspeople we spent three very special years of our lives with. We know that the truth is the magnitude of positive change that they can bring from inside is much more than what we can from outside, so no opportunity to empower them should be left unused”.

Great words and greater show of humility.

The film has been getting many year-end awards, some more may be in the waiting. A careful perusal of Sahni’s words on these occasion show a consistency – he has been telling the same on those — and every other — platforms, including the Screen Awards function.

Sahni is the man who created the Chak De concept, did the research, wrote the story, dialogue and lyrics. His words count. Only his views count. What he says is the truth. How, then, we all have been hearing and told something different?

As usual reality sinks in, as media disposes yet another episode of indifference to hockey. But, Chak De is a phenomenon that struck the collective chord of the country. No one will forget the film in their life time and the way it took hockey to nook and corner of the country and presented hockey as a tool of success for yearning women.

Yet in the end of the day, the likes of Sahni entertains a bit of sadness in their heart. Despite their best efforts that won the hearts of millions, they could not savour the success totally in actual terms, as it did not transform our hockey even a wee bit. As administrators sit and yawn and let slip yet another historical opportunity to transform the sport, the prime mover behind the film, tries hard to stomach the stark reality.

“We worked for three years, took enormous risk. At the end of the day, the public has accepted our work. But the mere fact our work did not result in women hockey or for that matter any women sport, hurt us.

Captions:

1. August gathering for the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2007 Awards function
2&3. Announcements as displayed on TN screens in the run up
4. Winners Sahni and Amin with the Vice President (second from right)
5.Citation scrolls across the screen
6 to 8: Writer-lyrist Jaideep Sahni in many frames
9. Chak De girls and Arjuna awardee Pritam Siwach watchng the show
10. In an another TV awards function, Sahni, actor Shah Ruk Khan with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh

11. Shah Ruk Khan, Sahni and a Chak De girl
12. (Below): Pritam, MK Kaushik and Chak De girls signing off with the Chak De shout.