Mbabane – The High Commission of India in Mbabane has invited members of the public to a free screening of the acclaimed Bollywood film Chak De! India, set for Friday, July 10, 2026, at Meeting Room No. 1, UN House, from 2pm onwards.
The screening forms part of the High Commission’s celebration of the spirit of Indian cinema, honouring legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra, whose Yash Raj Films banner produced the movie. Admission is free.
Chak De! India is a 2007 Hindi language sports drama directed by Shimit Amin, written by Jaideep Sahni and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film stars Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan as Kabir Khan, the former captain of the India men’s national field hockey team who is ostracised from the sport after a disastrous loss to Pakistan and accusations fuelled by religious prejudice.
Seven years later, in an attempt to redeem himself, he becomes the coach of the India women’s national field hockey team, with the goal of turning its 16 contentious players into an award winning team.
The film was inspired by the Indian women’s national field hockey team’s victory at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, which screenwriter Sahni read about in a newspaper. It went on to become the third highest grossing Hindi film of 2007, earning 109 crore rupees against a 20 crore rupee budget, and won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
Chak De! India received widespread critical acclaim for its direction, story, feminist themes and performances, with particular praise for Khan in what critics described as one of his finest roles. The Hindu described it as “one of the best feminist films of our times,” while India Today called it “the most feisty girl power movie to have come out of Bollywood ever.”
The film’s title track has since become a sports anthem in India, played at major sporting events and sung by crowds during the country’s cricket World Cup triumphs.
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