Chak De! India

Chak De! India (transl. Let’s go! India) is a 2007 Indian sports drama film directed by Shimit Amin and produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan as Kabir Khan, a former captain of the Indian men's national field hockey team who, after being ostracised following a controversial defeat, returns years later to coach the Indian women's national field hockey team. The narrative follows Khan’s efforts to unite a team of sixteen disparate players from across India and lead them to international success.

The film was inspired by the Indian women’s national hockey team’s victory at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, which screenwriter Jaideep Sahni came across in a newspaper. While the characters were fictional, elements of Kabir Khan's arc were perceived to resemble those of former player Mir Ranjan Negi, who later joined the film’s production as a consultant alongside then-coach Maharaj Krishan Kaushik. A mix of actors and real-life hockey players were cast in the team roles, and underwent several months of joint training in both acting and sport. Choreographed by Rob Miller, the film’s hockey sequences were paired with a score composed by Salim–Sulaiman, with lyrics by Sahni.

Chak De! India was released theatrically on 10 August 2007 in both Hindi and English, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of India's independence. The film received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise for its direction, screenplay, feminist themes, and Khan’s performance. A commercial success, it grossed ₹1.09 billion (US$26.36 million) against a budget of ₹200 million, making it the third-highest grossing Hindi film of the year.

At the 55th National Film Awards, the film won Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It led the 53rd Filmfare Awards with ten nominations, including Best Film and Best Director (Amin), and won five—including Best Film (Critics) and Best Actor (Khan). Over time, Chak De! India has come to be regarded as one of Khan’s defining performances and a landmark in Indian sports cinema. Chak De! India is also one of the greatest sports films of Indian cinema. The film’s title song remains a patriotic anthem frequently played at sporting events, and its popularity has been credited with influencing public discourse on gender equity in sport and prompting reforms within the Indian Hockey Federation.