Annu Kapoor accuses Chak De! India team for distorting facts, ‘They portrayed Muslims positively while ridiculing Hindu characters, particularly Pandits’

This statement follows closely after Annu Kapoor's claim that his 7 Khoon Maaf co-star Priyanka Chopra refused to kiss him on screen because he is not considered a mainstream hero, a remark that also sparked controversy.

'Chak De! India', which released in 2007,  was the story of Kabir Khan, Indian former men's hockey player, who was framed wrongly for cheating his country by not winning an important match to Pakistan.

He tries to redeem himself by training the Indian women's hockey team to clinch the victory despite huge opposition from the society. Alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade, Chitrashi Rawat, Sagrika Ghatge, Tanya Abrol, Anaitha Nair, Shubhi Mehta, and more were also present in the blockbuster film.

Chak De! India has emerged as a significant film in Indian cinema.

It was highlighted in critic and author Shubhra Gupta's book, 50 Films That Changed Bollywood, 1995–2015.

In 2023, Time Out ranked it 35 in its list of the "100 Best Bollywood Movies."

The title track, Chak De! India, has transformed into a sports anthem, frequently played at various sporting events.

Salim Merchant noted that the song "almost became the sports anthem of the country, especially after India won the Cricket World Cup in 2011."

Following India's World Cup victory, cricket player Virat Kohli famously led the crowd in singing "Chak De India." During India's win over South Africa in the 2015 Cricket World Cup, BBC's Nitin Srivastava had reported that the Melbourne Cricket Ground erupted with chants of "Vande Mataram" and ‘Chak De India.’

Veteran actor Annu Kapoor who has been working in this industry for the past 45 years, has accused the makers of the popular Bollywood film, Chak De! India of attempting to impose a communal narrative.

According to Annu, the filmmakers deliberately changed the lead character to a Muslim. He said that Shah Rukh Khan's character, Kabir Khan, was originally based on the coach Mir Ranjan Negi. But in the film, it was changed to a fictitious Kabir Khan.

Annu Kapoor told news agency ANI, "The main character in Chak De! India is based on a famous coach, Negi Saab. But in India, they want to show a Muslim as a good character and make fun of a Pandit (Hindu priest). This is something old, where they use the idea of Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb (Hindu-Muslim unity) to put a label on it,"