Subhayan Chakraborty from Chennai
The famous “Sattar minute” monologue from Shah Rukh Khan’s Bollywood cult classic Chak De! India still gives chills to sports and movie lovers, even 17 years after its release. For SRK, who played Kabir Khan, the fictional former India hockey captain turned national women’s team coach, Chak De remains one of his finest works. On Sunday, ahead of the IPL 2024 final between the Kolkata Knight Riders, a team Khan owns, and the Sunrisers Hyderabad, he channeled his inner Kabir Khan once more to leave the Knights both emotional and pumped up for the summit clash.
So what happened? Khan has always been one of KKR’s biggest supporters, whether in the stands or on social media. This season, he took an extra step by attending almost all the KKR games across the country. Despite suffering a heat stroke in Ahmedabad after their win in Qualifier 2 and being hospitalised, SRK was soon discharged after primary treatment. Clearly not in the best of health, he nonetheless ensured he attended the final match with his entire family and close friends. After all, his team had played eye-catching cricket throughout the tournament to reach the grand finale. Wearing a mask in the stands, he kept his celebrations subdued until the team crossed the finish line.
Before the squad left the hotel for the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai, SRK gathered everyone in a conference room at the hotel. He wanted to address his Knights one last time before their showdown with Sunrisers Hyderabad. As the squad assembled, the room lights dimmed and a big screen lit up. All eyes were on the screen as a video began to play. One by one, family members, relatives, and close friends of the players appeared, expressing their pride and emotions. The video showed how proud the families were to watch their loved ones play for Kolkata Knight Riders and what it would mean to them if they returned home as IPL winners. The video included everyone, from highly-paid foreigners to top Indian players and uncapped domestic players, and left everyone visibly moved, with a few players shedding tears.
As soon as the video ended, Shah Rukh Khan took over. Known for delivering some of the finest dialogues in Bollywood, this speech meant more to him personally. After all, it was his team, and as he said, “ye parivaar hai aur tum sab mere bacche ho” (This is a family and you all are like my kids). In the movie, Kabir Khan motivated his players before a World Cup final. Here, SRK, in real life, aimed to give his players an adrenaline boost before the match. He reminded them of their roots and kept his speech short and crisp, recalling how the team had navigated the highs and lows of the season and encouraging them to play to win.
The highlight of SRK’s speech was how he asked the players to “not play for the badge, not for Shah Rukh Khan, not for Gautam Gambhir, not for Chandrakant Pandit, or anyone in the team, but to play for their family members.” This perfectly tapped into the emotions stirred by the video, shifting the players’ focus to winning for their families.
The “Sattar minute” monologue ended with “toh jao…jao aur apne aap se, iss zindagi se, apne khuda se, aur har uss insaan se jisne tumhe, tum par bharosa na kiya ho, apne sattar minute cheen lo”. While SRK’s words on Sunday were different, the impact was just as powerful. Kabir Khan walked out with a World Cup trophy in the movie; SRK, the owner, walked out with the IPL trophy, plenty of hugs and smiles, and a flying kiss in real life. Fittingly, KKR took approximately “Sattar minute” (72 minutes to be precise) to chase down Sunrisers Hyderabad’s total in the IPL 2024 final.