Chak De India (Go For it India) is a Bollywood film that was released last month, and what an impact the film has on the pysche of Indians. In India Chak De India has become a magic mantra of sorts and Indian business schools are thinking of including the film in their curriculum. The film is about the vision and determination of a hockey coach, who molds the team's spirit and thinking and helps them win the world cup.

In general, Indians are not known for their prowess in the sports field, except for cricket. Yes, in the world of cricket, Indian cricket players play a fairly decent game and have won quite a few matches. However, at the recently concluded Twenty20 World Cup in Johannesburg, the Indian cricket team led by Mahindra Singh Dhoni did an outstanding job and won the World Cup after a gap of 23 years.

Many bloggers wonder if the Chak De India effect is responsible for the string of wins by India in cricket, football and hockey?

Sanjay Goel's post captures the feelings of many bloggers in this sentencee:

“Somehow the release of Shahrukh Khan starrer Chak De India has coincided with one of the best time for Indian Sports”

Karteek of K World pursues a similar train of though and wonders if the film Chak De India's responsible for India's wins in the world of sports. He writes:

Wondering whether a movie can bring Good Luck to a nation ? A definite logical answer to the question is “No”. Not Just “No”, but it's “NO!!!”

But, let's trace through this time line

• August 10, 2007 – Chak De India starring SRK is released
• August 29, 2007 – Football, India won Nehru Cup [1]
• September 9, 2007 – Hockey, India won Asia Cup [2]
• September 24, 2007 – Cricket, India won T20 World Cup [3]

You will have to read Karteek's blog to find out about his analysis and the co-relation between a Bollywood film and the Indian sports team.

Mutterings That Matter writes in his post Chak De India:

“This win has eclipsed both of them as I have been waiting for 22 frickin years to be so happy.

Congratulations Team India – T20 Champions…Chak De India….”

Anand Krishnan's Musings writes:

“But the icing on the cake is that in the past couple of months, Indian tennis, badminton, field hockey and soccer have all taken India to levels that were associated with non-Indian nations. It is this “broad based rally” in Indian sport that makes me want to say, “chak de India”!”

The Chake De India effect is not lost on Dave of Dave's Travel blog. A baseball fan, Dave thinks he is on his way to becoming a cricket fan. In his blog post titled Chak De India he captures the mood of the nation during the final match between India and Pakistan at Johannesburg.

“Luckily for me, the match started late and I arrived in time to witness a furious Pakistani comeback. They were on the verge of victory, and nationwide depression was beginning to take hold, until India salvaged a miraculous win! No sooner was the final ball caught than the firecrackers began exploding all over Mumbai.”

And, when the winning Indian cricket team landed in Mumbai yesterday they got a heroes welcome and the city came to a standstill. Guess what song was playing in the background as the team made their way through the city? Chak De India.