A few years ago, I’d watched this masterwork of a film called “Mere Apne” on Sony Max. A film set against a canvas of political unrest amongst the youth in Bengal during the late ‘60s and the early ‘70s, this 1971 Gulzar-directed piece of genius (it was his first foray into film-direction) had tremendous performances by Meena Kumari, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha and the rest of the cast (which included names like Danny Denzongpa, Dinesh Thakur, Ramesh Deo and Mehmood). Most importantly, the film left a strong message and an indelible impression on the mind of every youngster who saw the film. Since then, there have been a number of noteworthy attempts by renowned Indian filmmakers like N. Chandra (Ankush, Pratighaat), Sudhir Mishra (Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi) and Mani Ratnam (Yuva) to target the conscience of the Indian Gen-X, but none could hold a candle to the sheer intensity and raw angst “Mere Apne” exuded (Hazaaron was fantastic, but in a different way). I strongly believed it was the best a youth-oriented film could get, and no other film could come close enough to emulating it.
But, at 9.55 pm on the 26th of January, 2006, after a few seconds of shocked silence, vociferous cheering by the standing audience inside Ega theatre, Chennai shook that belief away. Reality dawned upon me, a very heartening reality that said to me with utmost conviction, “A generation has awakened!”
The gist of Rakeysh Mehra’s “Rang De Basanti” is now extremely well known: Sue (Alice Patten), a young British woman, comes to India to make a documentary on revolutionaries (Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad, etc.) who rebelled against the British Raj. She meets a bunch of five friends, namely D.J (Aamir Khan), Aslam (Kunal Kapoor), Karan (Siddharth), Sukhi (Sharman Joshi) and Sonia (Soha Ali Khan), all of who are students of Delhi University. She wants to cast them in the lead roles of her documentary, but the youngsters aren’t interested, simply because they cannot identify with the characters involved. It takes the coming of an Air-Force pilot Ajay Rathore (Madhavan), who is engaged to Sonia and a couple of untoward incidents involving Hindu fundamentalist Laxman Pandey (Atul Kulkarni) to get them, along with Pandey, to act in the documentary.
The turning point of the film is the death of Ajay in a MIG-21 crash. The dramatic sequence of events that then unfolds brings about a sea change in the friends’ lives. They decide to take the law in their own hands, which ultimately results in a utopian, but positive ending to the film.
Move aside, Mani Ratnam, Rakeysh Mehra is here! Four years after having directed the critically acclaimed ‘Aks’, Mehra makes a comeback with a resounding bang. He handles the subject, which could have gone haywire in the hands of even the best of dream-merchants, with complete élan and flair. The juxtaposition of the Bhagat Singh-era into today’s context as shown into film has been executed brilliantly, just going to show how gifted a director Mehra is. The visuals are simply stunning, with the monuments of Old Delhi being captured on screen beautifully. The first half of the film is full of fun and laughter, with Aamir’s one-liners and Sharman’s antics leaving the audience in splits. Things take a dramatic turn during the second half, gripping the audience with the unfolding of the change in the youngsters’ lives. Not once does Mehra get his hold off the narrative, building the tension up right till the very end. Tight script, brilliant direction, flawless narration… What more could a cinemagoer ask for? Well, he gets a lot more in the way of some of the most spectacular performances witnessed on the Indian screen in recent times.
Here’s a short brief about the lead actors’ individual performances:
Aamir Khan: A truly earth-shattering performance yet again by ‘Ace’ Khan as D.J a.k.a Daljeet. He delivers the goods without overshadowing the rest of the characters. The scene in which he stares right into Atul’s eyes when the latter tries to attack Kunal speaks volumes about his intensity. Yet another feather on India’s most loved actor’s well-decorated cap.
Kunal Kapoor: The man who showed great promise in his debut film “Meenaxi: A tale of three cities” is absolutely sensational in his portrayal of a middle-class Muslim youth. Kunal brings life to the character of Aslam and is natural in the every sense of the word. Knockout performance.
Madhavan: The “Ramji Londonwale” star has come a long way since his “Banegi Apni Baat” days. He shines in a crucial cameo as Flight Lieutenant Ajay Rathore, and his chemistry with Soha is something you don’t get to see on screen too often. Eminently likeable.
Siddharth: Making his debut in Bollywood, Siddharth is a total revelation. His portrayal of Karan Singhania, the cynical young man born with the proverbial silver spoon, is a stark contrast to the roles he played in South-Indian films. His performance has garnered rave reviews from all quarters and won over the audiences and critics alike. Superb.
Sharman Joshi: “Oye Kaake, kunwara hi reh gaya, yaar”. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Sukhi utters these lines before breathing his last. Probably the most endearing performance after Aamir’s, Sharman brings life into the character of a young Haryanvi wannabe. Excellent.
Atul Kulkarni: As a young religious fundamentalist disillusioned by the aftermath of Ajay’s death, Atul Kulkarni gives a fabulous account of himself yet again. This FTII product proved his mettle time and again in films like “Hey Ram”, “Chandni Bar”, “Dum” and “Page3” among others, and “Rang De Basanti” reaffirms his status as the finest character actor of this generation. Fantastic.
Alice Patten and Soha Ali Khan (my latest muse!) are great. Waheeda Rehman excels as Madhavan’s mother, as does Anupam Kher, a businessman with negative shades. Mohan Agashe is satisfactory as the Defence Minister. So is Kirron Kher. Om Puri (for an actor of his greatness) and Lekh Tandon are wasted.
The music by A.R. Rahman is good overall, and brilliant in parts. “Paathshaala”, “Rang De Basanti” and “Rubaroo” are the best numbers in the film. The song “Khalbali” seems forced into an otherwise gripping narrative. “Tum Bin Bataaye”, picturised mainly on Madhavan and Soha is a very melodious track which hasn’t received its due in the otherwise awesome promos for the movie.
Some moments that stand apart from the others are:
Aamir’s reaction when he finds out that Alice understands Hindi.
Aamir’s fistfight with Atul, which upsets Alice a great deal.
Soha’s reaction when she hears the news of Madhavan’s death.
Sharman’s confrontation with Siddharth after the killing of the Defence Minister.
Waheeda Rehman breaking down on receiving Madhavan’s belongings after his death.
Aamir and Siddharth sharing a joke just before they’re gunned down.
To sum it all up, “Rang De Basanti” is what you would call an once-in-a-lifetime film, which actually makes you sit up and take notice.
