Sahni had read a small article about the winning of the gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games by the India women's national field hockey team and thought that the premise would make an interesting film.
Hockey player Mir Ranjan Negi (who was accused of throwing the match against Pakistan during the 1982 Asian Games) has often been compared with Kabir Khan in the media.
[4][5][6][7][8] Sahni further stated in an interview with The Hindu: Sahni further noted that, "the story of Chak De was deeply inspired by the real life story of ex Chief National Coach Maharaj Krishan Kaushik and his Indian Women's hockey team's real feat of winning the Commonwealth and many other championships.
"[11] Kaushik also stated in the same interview, "I taught him everything about the game, starting from how the camp is conducted, how the girls come from different backgrounds and cultures, the psychological factors involved.
"[11] Sahni also contacted Negi and asked him to coach the actors portraying the hockey team.