Check De?  Did Salman Ask  For Too Much Money to Play Shah Rukh’s Role In Chak De?

Shimit Amin’s Chak De India, known universally as  Chak De, released  on the Independence Day week in 2007,  was  never meant to be the blockbuster  that it was.The first trailer, introducing all the members  of Shah Rukh Khan’s hockey team,  was  a disaster.

But then, we all know what happened when the  film released.

Salman Khan was the original choice for the coach Kabir Khan’s role in Shimit Amin’s  Chak De.There are many theories as to why Salman opted out.One theory goes that he asked Producer Aditya Chopra for too much money and they never worked together until Ek Tha Tiger when Salman got exactly the amount he wanted.Another theory is that Salman wanted some changes in the script which Director Shimit Amin refused.
Shah Rukh Khan stepped in and the rest was history.Shah Rukh had played hockey and his passion for the game remained.

Chak De was a slow starter and opened to a lukewarm response. It picked up over the weekend and became the second biggest hit of 2007 after Om Shanti Om.

 In a throwback interview with this writer, Shah Rukh had sais, “I feel hockey as a sport has been monstrously neglected in our country. I used to play the game during college. In fact, I was quite a good hockey player. So the role was a lot like going back to my past.We had real Australian female hockey players playing for the film in Australia. And it was truly amazing watching them go through their paces. They were thorough professionals.”

However, he dismissed the myth that he only likes to work within the comfort zone.”I do as many films for Yash Raj Films or Karan Johar as I do for other directors. ‘Swades’ and ‘Don’ were with first-time directors for me.And now I worked with Shimit Amin in ‘Chak De India’ for the first time. It’s interesting to see where he comes from, and where he hopes to go with this film. I think making a film based on the game of hockey is really cool.”

In   Chak De , Shimit Amin  has crafted a film with immense staying power and exceptional integrity and gusto, the thought-process behind the endearing endeavour harks back to a series of well-crafted Hollywood films about team spirit, the low-spirited team and the burnt-out disgraced and exiled coach who motivates the team and galvanises his own dormant spirit into a wide-alert status.Jaideep Sahni takes the expected tale to heights of great expectations with an endearing tone of expression.