’Rang De Basanti’ is a landmark film. There can be no two ways about it. Not only does this film offer us a fresh take on nationalism but it also helps us brush up all notions of contemporaneity and enlivens the passion within our souls. Aamir Khan, being an actor of excellent calibre, has always been expected to deliver and it is not a big deal that he comes up with a top-notch performance, but the director, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and the entire team - the splendid ensemble cast and the cream of a crew - have come up with a gem of a movie that literally moves us! Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, Kunnal Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni and Siddharth play parallel roles in parallel time-frames; they are the present day youngsters hanging out at the Delhi campus rollicking with dollops of masti and carefree banter, and, yet, these are the very souls from the pages of history who helped usher in a new dawn of independence for the country by bravely laying down their lives. The two distinctly representative sets converge ultimately and how that happens is what the film is all about. The message is driven home simply yet colourfully. The proceedings are captured in a vivid and nuanced manner by a British documentary filmmaker, played by Alice Patten, who traces her own personal ties and takes us viewers alongwith, on her voyage of discovery. We, especially the nonchalant amongst us, discover in the five lead protagonists the fire - the josh - that gets ignited and scorches all that is corrupt, decadent and exploitative. The raw wound of betrayal makes them defy all rational, selfish compromises and their passionate rage - the junoon - sees them burn all bridges leaving them no option for a safe homecoming. The cinematography of Binod Pradhan is rivetting. The pulsating musical compositions of A. R. Rahman augment the robust, earthy, sensual lyrics of Prasoon Joshi. The film is a winner all the way. One has to see it to believe how cool our Bollywood films have become. I am sure, zillions of laudatory reviews are on their way even as I type this humble review (couldn’t help myself, I was so exhilarated) of mine. Doesn’t matter if no one bothers to read this or rate this, but I do hope every Indian sees the film.