#KetchupCut: There never was and never will be another moment like the 'sattar minute' speech from Chak De! India

There are a plethora of reasons why we love Chak De! India but the 'sattar minute' speech tops that list without a doubt. Let’s deep dive into why and how it still is relevant!

There’s nothing more patriotic than representing your country on a global map, especially through the medium of sports. Chak De! India, in that sense, is not just a film, it’s a feeling. Packaged as a sports drama, it truly is more patriotic than most, even today! It is an underdog story through and through. A wrongly accused ex-hockey player makes it his mission to coach the women’s hockey team to the best of his abilities. The hurdles were innumerable but the crux of the film lies in how they overcome it together. One of the main highlights of the film is the 'sattar minute' speech. I remember getting goosebumps when I watched it for the first time. Little did I know that it would make me feel that way each time I watched it. The 'sattar minute' speech comes at a point in the film where the girls are playing against Australia, which is a rather tough team to crack. But having come this far in the game, they had to give it their all. The scene brings out how important yet underrated a coach’s role is in a team’s journey; he is the only one who could make or break their mental state at that point. 

The scene not only talks about the sporting spirit in general, as a coach, he also motivates them to do this for themselves before anyone else! He pushes them to go beyond their abilities not just for the country, but for their own self first because this will stay as a core memory for them forever, while for the other teams and spectators, it's just another match! Rarely do we see men on-screen supporting women and motivating them to do better. This speech not only left the girls feeling like they can conquer the world but also serves as a beautiful reminder to young Indian women watching the film that they can achieve anything and everything they put their mind to! The film as a whole and the sattar minute speech was way ahead of its times because we see shows like Ted Lasso adapt this kind of storytelling today! The 'sattar minute' scene felt like a declaration that this is what new India looks like and we proudly keep our women at the forefront!

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While this speech is cemented as one of the best in Hindi cinema today and is always used as an example of patriotism, ironically, it did not say anything about patriotism at all. It unknowingly makes a point that patriotism isn’t something you scream in someone’s face or shout from a rooftop. Patriotism is felt on the inside, in moments when you have to choose your country above anything else. Patriotism is shown through the loyalty of giving your best for your country and putting it on a global map along with superpowers that we can easily leave far behind. 70 minutes, in this film, is not just merely time passing by, they decide what the future looks like for the women's hockey team and our country. There’s nobody but Shah Rukh Khan who could evoke this emotion in us through a speech in a movie. His voice, his aura, his stature, his command over the language, and the sheer brilliance of his craft is what makes this scene as iconic as it became generations after generations!

The speech not only leaves me motivated each time, it makes me want to watch the entire movie on Independence Day, as cliche as that might sound. That’s simply the power this scene holds over us! Here’s hoping the good old days of patriotic films come back and we’re left stumped and silenced in a theatre full of people, because for once the hero actually makes sense!

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