chak de! india

having seen the first half, i'd been looking forward to the second for almost two weeks. today, we saw the rest on dvd. and no kidding, it blew my mind!

• the actors were each true to their role. they're not from the backgrounds they represent. not all, anyway. the representation, however, is without flaw. right from coach kabir khan to the haryana superstar, and the girls from the north-east - brilliant casting.
• it truly awakens the indian in you. where it comes to india pride, this movie takes the cake.
  
• i love that the end is on a super-duper high note. what makes it so charming is that it's based on a true story. you can't say "it's just a movie" anymore. i love it.
• i love the diversity factor, and the regionalistic tendencies that are shown - that we, as a people, harbor within.
  
• linked to the diversity factor is the linguistic factor - the bond these girls share in spite of the language divide, as the fundamental transcends the superficial.
  
• team-building doesn't automatically happen. it needs to be initiated, often forced. to see a dysfunctional team slowly work its way to the top is immensely heartening. a reinforcement of my idealistic belief that we all share some things in common, on a very basic level. that if we only try, we can realize the peace and harmony that we're seeking in the world around us.
• i must be true to the (oh, so mild) feminist in me and admit - i loved the movie for the women, for the taboos they helped destroy. for the team that won its country all that honor, working so relentlessly, to prove.

please go see it if you haven't already! chak de india!