Veteran actor Annu Kapoor recently sparked a heated debate with his comments on Shah Rukh Khan’s 2007 film ‘Chak De! India’. He expressed dissatisfaction over the lead character of Kabir Khan played by Shah Rukh Khan in the movie. He said that the character, apparently based on hockey coach Mir Ranjan Negi, was deliberately modified into the movie to feature a Muslim coach for a Hindu team which would cause trouble in current debates over religious identity representation in Indian cinema.
Kapoor stated, “The main character in ‘Chak De! India’ is based on the famous coach, Negi Saab. But in India, they want to show a Muslim as a good character and make fun of a Pandit (Hindu priest).” He criticized this decision, suggesting that it was an attempt to push the narrative of Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb (Hindu-Muslim unity) in a way that sidelined Hindu characters.
‘Chak De! India’ is the story of Kabir Khan, Indian former men’s hockey player, who was framed wrongly for cheating his country by not winning an important match to Pakistan. He tries to redeem himself by training the Indian women’s hockey team to clinch the victory despite huge opposition from the society.
Kapoor asserts that the filmmakers had consciously tried to balance the representation of religion, and he does find this issue rather problematic.
The remarks have created a flood of responses as some believe that the portrayal in the film has brought people closer together, while others support Kapoor’s intentions, which question the historical accuracy of depicting the contemporary situation.
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