There are seven reasons why YOU should watch this movie.
There is a spot of skin on the back of my lower neck, which along with the adjoining hairs, is about the best movie critic I know. For most of the first half of the movie, the hair were in a respectful standing ovation every time the movie tone changed to sepia when the director moved into showing heroes of another time. A damn interesting experiment, and it works beautifully interwoven into what the director wants to convey.
I am not the weepy kinds. I do not cry while watching movies. I do not certainly let tears flow in a public screening of a movie. Least of all when the public for which the screening is being held is the entire office and my entire market. You get my drift. Yet, I bawled copious tears in Rang De Basanti. Infact the last time I had broken down was in Amir Khan’s talking to his dad, ’theek hun dad. Tum fauran india chale aao’ conversation in Dil Chahta Hai. And this time it was twice. Once is the obvious Amir Khan breaking down scene on the dinner table. You’ll find out the other one when you see the movie.
The movie is made by a very competent ad guy, Rakyesh Mehra. The dialogues are written by another very competent ad guy, Prasoon Joshi. The editing is absolutely crisp. This is movie making by people who WANT to make movies, for the pleasure of making movies. Heart makes an amazing difference. There is a beautiful complete feeling to a job well done. So it is to this movie. It feels so complete. As something that was meant to be!
The songs have been interwoven into the narrative beautifully. The song Rubaroo and Masti Ki Pathshala are absolutely the way they HAVE to be. I have half a suspicion they were sent out with an ad brief, Rahman has delivered and how.
For the cameos by character actors-Kirron Kher(you just cannot miss the shot where the boys whiz past her on a bike and take her dupatta away. A mother figure, and the dupatta taken away in little boy naughtiness. The experiments are stunning, and come trumps, everytime!), Om Puri(can anyone emote that pained heart expression on their face so well?), for the parathas cooking, for the exotic locales chosen, for the bike stunts, for the television at the canteen. It is just a very detailed film. Makes one glad of the art of film making.
Amir Khan. The way he seeps into every character he portrays is what makes him so stunning. Just the very basics, but this is why we adore Rahul Dravid as much.
The story idea. It is refreshing. It moves into ennui and out of it with stunning results. It is a highly visual film. which is why I think translating this into a screenplay would have been a highly difficult task. The writing desk of the scriptwriter would have been an interesting place to visit for this movie.