The director of ’Rang De Basanti’, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra took some time off to retospect after his first film ’Aks’ bombed. It was a time well spent for his second movie ’ Rang De Basanti’ & he has proved that if he’s one of the top names in the ad world, he’s here to make his own mark in Bollywood.
Mehra has demonstrated that a film can be exciting & funny while still retaining the vision of the director who has captured some fantastic moments with his lens & produced it before a discerning audience.
Rang de basanti is about a set of frnds- Aamir, Sharman, Soha, Siddharth & Kunal, all in their twenties, who have nothing better to do than throw away their parents’ hard earned money, bickering all the while about the country being riddled with rampant corruption. Criticism came easy to them but they weren’t ready to take any steps to change the system. Only Madhavan, an IAF pilot & his love, Soha, differ from the views of the gang.
Enter Alice Patten from UK, who has come to India to make a film about Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Chandrashekhar Azad & Ram Prasad Bismil, about whom she has read a lot in her grandpa’s diary. Fascinated by the first hand information about these freedom fighters, she zeroes down on those gang of frnds as the heroes of her documentary.
Initially mocking her, the gang gets into the skin of the character that each is required to enact & realization draws that the freedom movement was big thing to have happened. But the bitterness about the present condition prevalent in the country, is not dispelled. They still insist that the country is akin to living in a gutter. A tragedy shatters their wayward lives; a fire to do something to stop the rampant corruption, is ignited & the gang gets ready to do or die.
Rang de basanti is no doubt a beautiful fim which is shot with a lot of confidence & passion. Once the story of freedom fighters starts taking shape, the sepia ones lay bare the horrors faced by the fighting indians. The documentary style past is juxtaposed with the present allowing Mehra to deliver the message without preaching.
The clever use of light & shades, in short the cinematography by Binod Pradhan, is visually stunning. There are a number of incredibly entertaining sequences peppered throughout the movie. The pre interval focuses on the deep frndship between the frnds; their light banter & their angst is highlighted wonderfully. The post interval is coming of age.
The highlight of the movie is definitely the fantastic performance by each character. Aamir, with his cute looks & gorgeous smile, passes of as a college student even at 40. While the movie might belong to him, it is not his contribution alone that makes the film watchable. Outstanding performance by Sharman, who has evolved a lot as an actor after ’ Style’ & excellent acting Soha, Alice, Siddharth & Kunal make the movie a great watch. Om Puri, Waheeda Rehman & Kiron Kher also perform wonderfully.
Add to that, the great dialogues penned by Kamlesh Pandey is effective in evincing the interest of the audience.
Mehra fills every shot with an intriguing sense of style, ensuring that the film is interesting to look at & keeps the audience glued to their seats.