‘Chak De! India’ Fuels Indonesia’s Hockey Spirit Ahead of Asian Games Clash

New Delhi, Sep 17: For Indonesia's young hockey players, Chak De! India is more than a Bollywood film. The 2007 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer has become a source of inspiration for the team as it prepares to face defending champions India in its opening Asian Games fixture on September 20.

Indonesian midfielder Ferdian Fathur Rahman is among those deeply influenced by the film, which follows a disgraced former India captain, Kabir Khan, as he transforms a divided women's hockey team into a united World Cup contender.

Rahman has watched the film several times and says one particular scene continues to resonate with him. Recalling Kabir Khan's opening interaction with the players, he said, "Yes, I do get inspired by Chak De! The scene where the coach talks to the players and asks, 'Where are you from?' has stuck in my mind all these years."

The scene culminates in Kabir's famous message of putting regional identities aside for the national team. Rahman believes the film's message extends beyond India and has found an audience in Indonesia, where Bollywood remains hugely popular.

"Where I come from, in Surabaya, Bollywood movies are a rage, and this particular movie about hockey is watched even now," Rahman said. "I have been with the national team for four years. I was there at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 and also played in the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia and Thailand."

Another Indonesian player, Firdaus Muhammad, is also a fan of the movie and recalled one of his favourite moments. "Tumhare paas sattar minutes hain (You only have 70 minutes to prove yourself and rewrite destiny)," he said.

International hockey has since shifted to a four-quarter, 60-minute format, meaning Indonesia will have four 15-minute quarters to test itself against India. Firdaus is also looking forward to facing India's captain Harmanpreet Singh. "I like his (Harmanpreet's) drag flick," he said.

Indonesia will now look to draw confidence from the film's underdog message when it takes on one of Asia's leading hockey teams in Nagoya.