Chak De India screened at rare film fest in Saudi Arabia

Dubai, Feb 12 (UNI) The much-acclaimed Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Chak De India' was screened at an Asian Film Festival in Jeddah, a rare event in conservative Saudi Arabia.

Ausaf Sayeed, the Consul General of India, said the film was the second to be shown after a Saudi documentary 'Full Moon Night', directed by Mamdouh Salem, a Saudi producer, director, actor and theatre activist, who was also present during the screeming.

The first-ever Asian Film Festival in Saudi Arabia opened in Jeddah on Saturday evening amidst much enthusiasm and interest from a gathering of over 300 people comprising of diplomats, Saudi nationals, Arabic and English journalists and nationals belonging to the Asian countries.

The festival was inaugurated by Ambassador Mohammad Bin Ahmad Tayyab, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Makkah Branch, by unveiling the festival logo in the presence of the Consuls General from thirteen Asian countries - Bangladesh, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand who are all members of the Asian Consuls' General Club (ACGC).

Dr Sayeed said 'Chak De', produced by Aditya Chopra, was a story about honesty, sincerity, integrity and commitment to a cause, that of a coach's fight for making his hockey team number one in the world against all odds. The film also carries a very strong message of women's emancipation and is a tribute to the women of India.

Dr Sayeed recalled that India has given fabulous performances in Hockey at the Olympics by consecutively bagging six gold medals from 1928 to 1956, an achievement that is indeed praiseworthy and remains unsurpassed until now.

After Independence, Indian Hockey Team again won gold medals at the 1964, 1972 and 1980 Summer Olympics. India also won the 1975 Hockey World Cup held at Kuala Lumpur.

He said the screening of the film comes at an appropriate time as India has started preparing for hosting the next Hockey World Cup in 2010.

UNI XC PD KP0956