This Review is In Brief – SPOILER ALERT:

·         Nice toned down performance from Shah Rukh Khan; dunno why he does not do more of these, a la Baazigar, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa & Asoka.

·         Excellent debut performance from most of the sportswomen.

·         Excellent casting and story, which brings out many points with good subtlety. Some notable examples include:

o        Towering Importance and super-stardom of Cricket over any other sport.

o        Politics and Chauvinism in sports, even in allocation of budget

o        Camaraderie among fellow sportsmen and sportswomen and even their coaches.

o        Isolation of North Eastern States from the rest of India

o        Family as an obstacle to innovation and participation.

o        Australian Sledging

o        Winning (and losing) becomes a habit in sport.

o        Overwhelming pressure to win in the National stage, especially against key rivals.

o        Branding and Match Fixing allegations.

o        Resistance to authority, especially among senior players.

o        Individualism dominates over team work to prove a point.

o        Management Skills:

§         Team work, works.

§         No place for political division within a team.

§         Common enemy promotes team bonding,

§         Hit the key passion points to derive top performance from top players.

§         Choose the best horses for courses

§         Don’t waste time to make a key strategic change.

§         Play hardball with those who play hardball and are tough to deal with.

§         Clearly set expectations, directions and guidelines.

§         And yes, apologize and admit an error.

·         Passion packed, hair raising sequences that bring out a Lagaan like effect, but does not beat out Lagaan, although it cometh darn close.

·         Makes you pump up your fist for India, the perpetual underdog in sports.

·         Worth Watching, more than two times!