Shah Rukh Khan made his 60th birthday celebration extra special for his fans in a different way. While he couldn’t step outside his home, Mannat, due to ongoing construction work and safety reasons, the
superstar made sure to connect with his admirers at a special fan event. There, he spoke about his journey, family and some of his most loved films. During a segment where clips from his iconic movies were shown, SRK became emotional after seeing a still from Chak De India.
He revealed, for the first time, the real reason he agreed to do the film and it was a tribute to his late father, Meer Taj Mohammed Khan, who loved playing hockey. Khan shared that he once dreamed of playing the sport for India but had to give up due to an injury. When Chak De India was offered to him, the superstar saw it as an opportunity to honour his father and even told the film’s producer, Aditya Chopra, that, “Yeh picture main karunga because I want to do it for my father.”
A Tribute To His Father
As per Bollywood Hungama, after seeing a still from Chak De India during the fan event, Shah Rukh Khan said, “This sport (hockey) is very important to me. My father (Meer Taj Mohammed Khan) used to play. I really wanted to be a hockey player and try to play for India. Then I suffered (an injury) and I couldn’t (pursue the sport). In a way, it was good as I became an actor.”
“When this film came to me, I realised that it could be a tribute to my father. I don’t like to give films more meaning than necessary. Films entertainment ke liye hai. But I remember I told Adi (Aditya Chopra) that ‘Yeh picture main karunga because I want to do it for my father’. I can play a little bit of hockey and hence, it was very interesting,” King Khan added.
For Shah Rukh Khan, being a part of the Chak De India team was a memorable experience. He praised his co-stars, saying the girls in the film were extremely talented and played hockey with great skill. He recalled playing a friendly football match in Australia against a women’s team, who easily defeated the men’s team with a big score. Khan admitted that they didn’t expect the film to become such a huge success. It was meant to be a slightly different kind of movie, but it turned into one of the most loved and influential sports films in Indian cinema.
Chak De India Plot
The Shimit Amin directorial features Khan as Kabir Khan, a former captain of the Indian men’s hockey team, who gets blamed for losing against Pakistan during the Hockey World Cup finals. Years later, he decides to make a comeback and regain his lost respect by coaching the Indian women’s hockey team.
Other than Shah Rukh Khan, Chak De India also featured 16 female actors, including Vidya Malvade, Shilpa Shukla, Nichola Sequeira, Sagarika Ghatge, Chitrashi Rawat, Tanya Abrol, Shubhi Mehta, Sandia Furtado, Anaitha Nair, Arya Menon, Kimi Laldawla, Masochon Zimik, Kimberly Miranda, Seema Azmi, Nisha Nair and Raynia Mascerhanas.
