Customer Reviews

Rang De Basanti

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I understand people's point that Rang de Basanti oversimplifies a very complex issue. On one hand, I believe it's important for people to have a solid foundation in the intricacies of life before springing into action. Truly many have died serving an evil they believe to be the greatest good. On the other hand, we should not spend our lives letting the existing structure to dictate how we live, or rather what we should dream.

Rang de Basanti may be a little guilty of not presenting all the intricacies present in life. However, the splendid way it communicates to us how we can have an impact on society when we choose and live out our own dreams more than makes up for any faults the movie has.

Reality is always complex and never simple; but understand that communication IS about simplification. Words themselves are nothing but abstract simplifications of complex experiences and conceptions that have meaning to us. And true, some movies do misuse the medium and end up leaving out important considerations (hmm, can't think of a great example, maybe Fight Club?). I don't think Rang de Basanti is guilty of this though.

[SPOILERS]

The movie says itself (something like) "It was wrong to kill the Defence Minister and we are sorry. We have come to turn ourselves in and confess our sins." The movie recognizes that murder is wrong no matter what the circumstance. But ask yourself "is it any less wrong to sit by and do nothing while corruption continues?"

[END SPOILERS]

Rang de Basanti beautifully portrays the vision of people using what is within their power in order to impact what they see as the greater injustice. I found the image to be very inspiring and needed in today's society when so many people spend their whole lives allowing the political and economic structure dictate to them how they should live, what they should dream.

Watching this film I was reminded of American films in the '70s -- the refusal to separate arts and entertainment from politics, and the feel of not only watching a movie but being called to action and awareness. This film seems to do for Bollywood what maverick directors in the '70s did for Hollywood -- and I am only drawing an analogy here in terms of my own limited experience with Bollywood films, and not attempting to suggest that Americans got there first, especially since this tone is so rare in contemporary American films -- to give voice to those who are dissatisfied with the paralyzing message that things are only getting better and there's nothing much you can do about it anyhow. I don't know what effect this film had in India when it was released, but I can imagine it having a huge impact. The film manages to show that revolutionary action, as exemplified by young men who fought bravely for Indian independence from British colonial rule, can never simply be a thing of the past. The film speaks directly to Indian youth and challenges them to rise up and make a difference and fight corruption -- as exemplified in the film by leaders who made money by buying cheap and inadequate military equipment for their soldiers.

A young British woman finds her grandfather's journal, written while he was stationed in India and charged with extracting information from revolutionaries. He becomes increasingly less convinced of the morality of his charge, and admires the bravery and conviction of the Indian youth under his watch. The woman decides to make a film about these young revolutionaries and upon arrival in India she gets involved with a group of apolitical but energetic young men and women, who love to party and only reluctantly agree to be cast in her film. As the film develops, their lives and struggles come increasingly to mirror those of the youth whose lives they are impersonating in the film -- until their situation escalates and they are pushed towards a difficult and life-changing decision.

The impact of the film builds slowly, and along what are initially fairly predictable lines, with emotional build up and the passage of time being captured in occasionally exuberant musical routines -- but the tone of the film shifts about halfway through and becomes quite gripping and unique. It raises the question how one can be patriotic when political leaders and the government are corrupt. We praise revolutionaries of the past, but when someone tries to take a stand against a corrupt system they are labeled reactionary or even terrorist. The film makes a sharp distinction between justified revolutionary and terrorist activity, and in the end argues that what is needed is for those who recognize corruption to do something about it by becoming leaders and speaking up for change. A very engaging and unique film, definitely worth watching -- I only wish it were more readily available in the States.

This film excited some controversy, as anyone can see plainly after reading the few reviews here. This is because of the astounding, extreme decision that the characters make at the end of the film. According to some viewers, this final decision -based on a cheap and simplistic view on the political and social climate of India, in their opinion- is an incitement to violence .

Although I was also amazed by the final decission the characters make -while, at the same time, admiring the way the writer blends this part of the story with the historic events that had been shown in the film until then- I didn't quite see the call to arms or terrorism here. Actually, this way of interpreting the ending is really simplistic, in my opinion, considering the complexity and several layers on which the plot operates. And, I must confess, the ending was a big-bang surprise to me; and how often do we get an unpredictabe ending in films, be they Bollywood or otherwise? Not as often as we would like to, surely.

If the controversial ending is so extreme and violent, it is as a sharp contrast with the carefree, hedonistic, almost cynical attitude -at the beginning of the film- of Dj (Aamir Khan) and hisfriends, who are the protagonists. While this group of youths belong to the middle classes and do not really have much to worry about as to the basic needs of life, everything they see around them in their country makes them hopeless, directionless, lacking plans and projects for their future. Their only aim in life seems to be having fun, getting drunk, hanging around at college. It is in fact a way of hiding from reality and the life that awaits, of trying to cling to youth.

Everything changes with the arrival of Sue, a British young woman who is trying to shoot a documentary about a bunch of (communist) revolutionaries who, in the time of the Raj, fought against the British. She recruits Dj and his good-for-nothing friends. As much as this crowd detest anything to do with patriotism or revolution, and they laugh at these revolutionaries of the Indian past who chose to die for their ideals, they find themselves dragged into the story....

Thus, both the hedonistic, coudn't-care-less attitude of the beginning and the extreme decission of the ending are typical reactions born of desperation, of being in a no-way-out situation. And this is the message of the film: when the system is so rotten that the new generations are left with no hope for their futures, they are going to react tpically in one of these two ways. It is a courageous mesage, stated in a very clear way. The possible solutions, as well as the cause of the rot in the system are also clearly stated and, although maybe this part of the message is actually simplistic, one can't help but feel respect for people who decide to denounce what they see as bad, warn of possible dangers ahead (e.g.the extremes of passivity or violence that this situation can entail), and suggest a positive, no matter how simplistic, action. In fact, the denounce of some embarrasing problems (particularly the defective parts of planes, cause of may accidental deaths, bought by the Indian Ministry of Defence)and of the BJP (then ruling the country)take on society (clearly trying to incite hatred among the different communities, which, on the other hand, also have their particular hate-mongers) are so contundent as to fall like a hammer blow.

If you are expecting a typical Bollywood from Rang De Basanti, you'll be sorely disapointed. It is true that the story begins more like a comedy to end up a drama...-and how wonderful all the actors are playing these different registers!!!- but the typical romance is really nowhere to be seen (not that it lacks romance, but it's not so heavy-handed as in most Bollywoods, in fact it is so discreet that one almost misses it until the very end), there is no hero/heroine protagonism but a choral focus on character and the musical numbers are not your typical Bollywood either and are not given the ordinary weight...-the music is great, though!!!!

After watching Rang De Basanti, I understand the hype. It's not usual to find such a popular form of art as films so openly calling (young) people to wake up and improve society. Although the message is clearly intended for India, it is of universal consequence. Highly recommended. It will make you feel. It will make you think. Even if just to desagree.

I love this film. I especially enjoyed how they wove together the scenes of past and present. Like other viewers here, I was taken aback by the extreme decisions taken by the boys toward the end of the film, but it's not all that different from what I've read in many acclaimed novels in English lit class that deal with youth.

The scene of police brutality in the second half of the film left me speechless. An absolutely brilliant choice of music and imagery. The progression of Pandey's hindustani character, and his relationship with the muslim Aslan, was perhaps the best character development I've seen in any Bollywood film.

This film is well edited with great camera work. Good music as well. The ensemble cast is superb. Unlike Fanaa and many Bollywood films, the first and second halves of the film flow together and feel like one film, not two barely related stories. And no silly happy ending here, with a wedding crashed by the true love in the nick of time. Instead, Rang de Basanti has true substance and a message of hope, action, and the bond of friendship.

after reading the other review i simply had to post this up here. I found the movie to be a nice change from all the body showcasing - poor acting movies that have come out of bollywood at an alarming rate. the acting was fresh and was able to portray authenticity of the characters very well - not that the movie didnt have its share of cliche's and what not - but the music was brilliant - the story of Bhagat Singh and his men running parallel to the story of DJ and his friends was well orchestrated. I dont think the point of the movie was to propogate violence or encourage it by making it look glamorous - the ending pretty much destroyed the glamour for me at least - but it did do a good job of providing inspiration to the audiance - i enjoyed the movie very much, and would recommend it to all.

McKinley (Steven Mackintosh): "I always believed there were two kinds of men in this world; men who go to their deaths screaming; and men who go to their deaths in silence. And then I met the third kind..."


There are not many patriotic movies that you can watch and then watch again for its message and emotions. Most Hollywood and Indian Movies seem to thump their chests and dance on the dead graves of past heroes. They glorify the history, distorting it and making it unrecognizable and something you can't relate to. After "V For Vendetta" this was the most exciting `Revolutionary' Movie I could call truly of present days times. I only saw this movie yesterday as the DVD was going for Rs69 by Sony and I had heard a lot of good things about this multiple award-winning 2006 release.

"Rang de Basanti" is a movie that tells 2 stories parallel to each other while in different timelines. The title literally means "Paint me Saffron". In India and most of Asia, Saffron is the colour of sacrifice and the title refers to its characters' desire to sacrifice for their motherland.

Alice Patten plays Sue McKinley, a British film-maker just beginning to get into the industry. No one is interested in her grand-father's diary. Her Grand-father was a Police Officer in British ruled India during the Freedom Struggle. His diary recounts his encounters with the legendary and most celebrated young Freedom Fighters - Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Ashfaqulla Khan, Ram Prasad Bismil and Rajguru. Sue's faith in her inherited diary brings her to India sans finance or producers. Her contact in India Sonia played by Soha Ali Khan knows her troubles but supports her determined to help make the movie.

Much of the beginning deals with the fun and materialism in Colleges of India today. After much headhunting Sue sees her star cast in Sonia's friends. A group of four pranksters who do nothing more than booze, party, ride and blow away money. DJ/Daljit Singh is their leader of sorts played by Superstar Aamir Khan. When this gang including actors Siddharth Narayan, Kunal Kapoor and Sharman Joshi hear about Sue's idea for patriotic film they laugh it off telling her that today's India is a mess and no one will even think of giving up their Life for such a corrupt and diseased nation. They indulge Sue but cannot relate to the patriotic fervour of Azad and Bhagat Singh of 1920's India.

Another element of Modern India is added by the casting of Atul Kulkarni as Laxman Pandey a Fundamentalist Political Party Worker in the same College. Sue invites him for a role but this ends up in a brawl with DJ's friends when Laxman insults their Muslim friend Aslam played by Kunal Kapoor.

Meanwhile Sonia's boyfriend Flt. Lt. Ajay Singh Rathod played by R. Madhavan is assigned to duty in Indian Air Force. During the farewell he tells the gang that criticism is easy but cleaning up your own house (Motherland) is always painful and thus an unwanted thankless job.

DJ as always laughs it off saying, "One leg in past and one leg in future; that's how we are pissing on the present."

The movie is a bold statement against today's India. The Youth are disillusioned with Public Service and of course believe in getting a US Visa out of this damned country. They would rather booze than think of sweating to replenish their forsaken motherland.

Fiction meets facts. It is true that the Defence Department is among the most profitable corrupt branches of Indian Government providing the poorest gear and machinery to its soldiers who have dedicated their lives to serve the nation. Over 30 pilots have died in a span of 3 years due to MiG-21 crashes caused by cheap faulty Russian spare-parts.

Flashbacks of Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad and their brothers seem to blend into today's youth's struggle for Justice against corrupt rulers. Together the 5 young awakened heroes of 21st century India decide to take matters into their own hand to deliver Justice and to inform the nation about the Truth.

The movie moves smoothly throughout and the songs are never out of place or out of context. The DVD version has English Subtitles and even the songs have been translated for best viewer-satisfaction. The past and present roles played by these 6 actors blend comfortably and the pace towards the climax is thrilling and emotionally heart-wrenching and tragic.

The decision of these 21st century revolutionaries to get arrested is parallel to Bhagat Singh's decision to get arrested to voice their Freedom Struggle and fight for Justice; proving their rghteousness.

From the past part of the story, Aamir Khan plays Chandrashekhar Azad very well. Azad, a master of disguise is known for his daring escapes and one shown here on a police motorcycle is very exciting.

Do watch this movie if you are looking for patriotic movies that today's youth can relate to. You may just as the tagline suggests "Awaken" (A Generation Awakens).

Watching this film I was reminded of American films in the '70s -- the refusal to separate arts and entertainment from politics, and the feel of not only watching a movie but being called to action and awareness. This film seems to do for Bollywood what maverick directors in the '70s did for Hollywood -- and I am only drawing an analogy here in terms of my own limited experience with Bollywood films, and not attempting to suggest that Americans got there first, especially since this tone is so rare in contemporary American films -- to give voice to those who are dissatisfied with the paralyzing message that things are only getting better and there's nothing much you can do about it anyhow. I don't know what effect this film had in India when it was released, but I can imagine it having a huge impact. The film manages to show that revolutionary action, as exemplified by young men who fought bravely for Indian independence from British colonial rule, can never simply be a thing of the past. The film speaks directly to Indian youth and challenges them to rise up and make a difference and fight corruption -- as exemplified in the film by leaders who made money by buying cheap and inadequate military equipment for their soldiers.

A young British woman finds her grandfather's journal, written while he was stationed in India and charged with extracting information from revolutionaries. He becomes increasingly less convinced of the morality of his charge, and admires the bravery and conviction of the Indian youth under his watch. The woman decides to make a film about these young revolutionaries and upon arrival in India she gets involved with a group of apolitical but energetic young men and women, who love to party and only reluctantly agree to be cast in her film. As the film develops, their lives and struggles come increasingly to mirror those of the youth whose lives they are impersonating in the film -- until their situation escalates and they are pushed towards a difficult and life-changing decision.

The impact of the film builds slowly, and along what are initially fairly predictable lines, with emotional build up and the passage of time being captured in occasionally exuberant musical routines -- but the tone of the film shifts about halfway through and becomes quite gripping and unique. It raises the question how one can be patriotic when political leaders and the government are corrupt. We praise revolutionaries of the past, but when someone tries to take a stand against a corrupt system they are labeled reactionary or even terrorist. The film makes a sharp distinction between justified revolutionary and terrorist activity, and in the end argues that what is needed is for those who recognize corruption to do something about it by becoming leaders and speaking up for change. A very engaging and unique film, definitely worth watching -- I only wish it were more readily available in the States.

This movie garnered substantial attention and emotional discussion in India. Most westerners can acknowledge the dramatic capital this film generates, but some view this film as a negative example for Indian political action, and have even missed the identity of the film. Non-Indians could give the film more thoughtful viewing rather than a bluff reprove. Even Mihir Bose (Bollywood: A History) took exception to this film and had to have it explained to him by some younger in-country person...

At first this movie reminded me of Mani Ratnam's "Yuva" (Yuva) but "Rang" apparently captured audiences more strongly, due to its reveal. It can be warm at times like Ratnam, and perhaps like the American movie "Breaking Away" (Breaking Away (Widescreen Edition)) but on a vastly larger stage- Dehli and Indian national politics. In short it is a well produced, serious movie, Aamir Khan the mainspring actor with a well written ensemble cast, and fine music from A. R. Rahman, who also playback sings some of the pieces.

The color of saffron on the flag symbolizes courage and sacrifice. The Swaraj flag, the first tri-color band flag, was adopted in 1931 by the National Congress and came to represent the Independence Movement, for all Indians the sense of the country, i.e. nationalism, so that Rang de Basanti is translated as "the color of nationalism", which the lyrics of Prasoon Joshi in the title song make clear.

I viewed this movie coming off reading S.R.Mehrotra on India's freedom and partition (Towards India's Freedom and Partition (Deluxe Reprint, 2005)) Mehrotra gives a fine examination of nationalism in general and shows how difficult a problem it is in India today.

At first viewing, even I was critical of this movie but repeated viewings dissolved my naturally acquired western prejudice. At first it seems like an unproductive valorization of what Mehrotra termed as the "old politics": resistance, tear down the Raj, the HRA (Hindustan Socialist Republican Association) Bhagat Singh, the Karkori train robbery and so on. As opposed to Mehrotra's "new politics": Nehru/Gandhi, work with the British to establish a new constitution and dominion within the I.N.C.

But Mehrotra is more or less the apologist of the I.N.C. and A.O.Hume. An alternative view of Hume and this whole issue is given in Amaresh Misra Lucknow: Fire of Grace - The Story of Its Renaissance, Revolution and the Aftermath, where he states that Hume, the original brain behind the I.N.C., the officer who suppressed the 1857 revolt in Etawah, designed the INC forum merely as a safety value for left-over post-1857 steam in various parts of the country.

"The Congress did change course midway to go beyond the British expectations, but the anti-1857 birthmark never disappeared."

Misra repeats the case that the pre-formed Hindu-Urdu belt of the Indian subcontinent, better known as Hindustan, already provided an indivisible cultural-political identity for India, and Mehrotra himself admits in a very round-about but thorough way that this unity was not only a viable basis of nationalism, but also that it was severely damaged by British efforts to divide and rule in the early 20th C., and the disfunctional process that finally ended in the Partition.

Misra posits that if the Revolt of 1857 had been successful, it would have created an India free of the communal issue, en route to capitalist democracy and enterprise. In that sense the 1857 revolt heralded a struggle not between the "old" and the "new" but between the "colonial new" and the "indigenous new". In this sense Mehrotra's labeling of "old" and "new" is reversed.

Even part of the so-called " c. 1925-31 diary" produced by filmmaker Sue in the movie appears remarkably similar to testimony made in Misra's book by a British trooper of the 9th Lancers in 1857, who, "recording with sadistic glee the degradation of the 10th Native Infantry sepoys, being made to kneel, crawl and lick human blood with throats stuffed with cow and pork meat and a pocket of feces tied to their noses, was struck by their still defiant attitude."

NOTHING HAS CHANGED! A layer of irony in the intentions of the British following 1857 is given by Mehrotra as he examines the attitudes of English educated Indians, in an article in the Bombay periodical "Indu Prakash" entitled "Why We Prefer British Rule To All Others". June 8, 1885: "We have come in contact not only with a liberty-loving and progressive people, but also with a nation who are foes of fatality as much as we are blind followers of it.."

For more detail about Bhagat Singh see my review of Rajkumars Santoshi's 2002 movie The Legend of Bhagat Singh (The Legend of Bhagat Singh).

Rang de Basanti is a reassertion, a whipping-up of that core nationalistic feeling between Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, that potential for nationistic identity, as a base for a youth rite-of-passage movie. Just as American critics balked at the endorsement "Rebel Without A Cause" Rebel Without a Cause (Two-Disc Special Edition) gave to so-called "juvenile delinquency", its representation of frustration, anger and heartbreak was an endorsement of a generation that became accepted. So too with Rang de Basanti.

Rang de Basanti becomes a youth rite-of-passage movie, but by this time, the characters are drowning in this irony, and the passage becomes one into unavoidable violence for the lack of justice, and tragedy, handled once again in a Hindu-Shakespearian fashion. When all the youths decide more or less that "the Raj has now become ourselves, down with the Raj!", they take action. Sadly they are met with further irony and implacable resistance, so as to make the total of this irony of deceptions and accretions of history the overwhelming take-away of the film.

BUT: Will will the modern real-time media that covers their demise finally efface the suppression of the earlier freedom fighters' and break forever the obsurity of their message???

Some people here have called it simplistic. However, it is simply a call to action. They are not asking the youth of India to kill anyone, merely to awaken the sleeping giants within. Two thumbs up to this movie. The best Hindi movie in a generation!!! You have missed something if you haven't seen it.

This is one of the best movie I have ever watched. Imposing the work,the concept of freedom fighters in todays corrupt India...story line is fabulous, acting is great, songs are wonderful. Aamir Khan has done an excellent job with comedy and serious role. Rest of the actors have done justice to their role. I rather not give away the story. I have already watched this movie 3 times and will watch often..it's a got to have movie..