Why I Would Have Enjoyed Chak De More Without Shah Rukh Khan

If I search on Google the top women-centric films in Bollywood of the last 20 years, I will come across some impressive shouts. I would come across films like Lipstick Under My Burkha, which spurred dialogue about misogyny and the state of women in India. I would come across Pink, which mainstreamed the 'no means no' ideals, especially in the MeToo era. I would come across Margharita With A Straw which got the country engaging with the premise of sexual orientations as Kalki Koechlin's character came to terms with her sexual orientation in the film. 

I will come across Queen, Mary Kom, English Vinglish, Chak De, and Dangal until I stop and recognise a pattern among these films that is rather unflattering. A scathing recurrence made me realise that even though the movies mentioned above further women-centric narratives, the main characters aren't necessarily women.

But firstly, most of the films discussed above bring exceptional depth to the socio-cultural feminist narrative of our country, considering cinema is one of the most widely accessible and influential media. Moreover, some of the films are directed by female directors who pushed the boundaries of conversations about undignified gender roles, sexual harassment, and women empowerment to unfathomable degrees in our country, and I deem such efforts commendable. 

However, the question still stands, why is there a need to have a male protagonist at the helm of a very women-centric narrative? Case in point, the Shimit Amin directed film Chak De starring Shahrukh Khan in a leading role when the story is about the Indian Women's hockey team winning the World Cup.

The film explores several fascinating subplots and highlights the journey of several female characters creating compelling narratives around their struggles against patriarchy, misogyny, and discrimination against women in sports. Vidya Sharma, the team captain, had to deal with the intense familial pressures of playing the role of a traditional housewife and bearing a child, regardless of which she led the Indian team to a World Cup win. Preeti Sabarwal dates the Vice-Captain of the Indian cricket team but refuses to marry him, considering he does not take her hockey career seriously and his prejudice against women in sports.

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Extremely compelling narratives, right? They truly showcase a crude reality of how women in our countries have to overcome harsh circumstances to get the same opportunities that men do without the same struggle, and I would have loved to see more of that; however, these narratives got lost in the main story of Kabir Khan who was the captain of the Indian men's hockey team which lost the World Cup final to Pakistan in his day.

The film is about him coaching the World Cup-winning women's team and restoring his lost reputation. The film gives the impression that he is essentially building to victory and that without his efforts, the team is exposed to be no better than a gang of catfighting girls.

What was more peculiar is how the women's team's victory was portrayed like Kabir Khan's victory. I do indeed understand the importance of the coach and a guru in any accomplishment; however, in the context of the film and what it could have been, I can't entirely agree with the choice of putting Shah Rukh Khan's Kabir Khan at the helm of that victory.

In the film's final moments, when team captain Vidya Sharma stood tall to make the winning save, Kabir signals that the shot will go straight, which it did, giving him credit for the portentous save. 

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This is a common occurrence in other films centering women based narratives. The movie Dangal is the story of two real sportswomen, Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari, whose journey is overshadowed by their father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, their father played by actor Aamir Khan, who trains both of his daughters to realize an unfulfilled dream of his. Even after Geeta leaves the house, his character remains crucial to the plot. Even though the film is taglined 'Humari Choriyan Choro Se Kam Hai Ke?', the presence of the chora continues to undermine and overshadow the success of the chori. 

While there is no doubt that the existence of these films have furthered the feminist cause, and even if we are going two steps forwards and one step back, that is still one step forward, yet the question needs to be asked, is it possible in our country to make a successful film without famous men being associated with them?

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