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It is rare that such a
well-crafted and beautifully told story is seen in Hindi cinema.
Genius Director Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra’s movie ‘Rang
De Basanti’ is a must-watch for reasons that
the length of this review may not suffice to express. More
than just a technically brilliant flick, ‘Rang De Basanti’
has a story that entertains you, makes you think and stirs
you deep inside in the end. The director merges two plots
in RANG DE BASANTI. The first is about a
group of friends, their bonding, and the carefree lifestyle
they lead. The second plot pertains to the past, when freedom
fighters sacrificed their lives during the pre-independence
era. Without doubt, Mehra’s intentions are noble, since
portions in the film do succeed in pricking your conscience.
Mehra draws parallels between Indians ruled by the British
and Indians ruled by corrupt politicians today. The message
is subtle at first, but echoes piercingly before it reaches
its finale. The transition of the five friends from meaningless
to meaningful existence is done brilliantly.
But the impact RANG DE BASANTI ought to make
gets diluted to an extent…
If the awakening, after one of their friends dies in an air
crash, is a master stroke from the writing point of view,
the sequence of events that lead to the climax take an idealistic
route. The friends enter a radio station, force the staffers
to leave the premises, go Live, confess to the world that
they’ve gunned down the Defence Minister for certain
reasons. By then, the commandos get into action and the radio
station turns into a battleground. A better finale was the
need of the hour!
 Also,
RANG DE BASANTI unfolds at a leisurely pace
all through. After establishing the characters in the first
30 minutes, the story doesn’t really race forward. The
sepia-tone parallels are engaging at times, not always. Besides,
the message that the film carries with it tends to get diluted
towards the climax. Most importantly, a common man buying
a ticket to watch RANG DE BASANTI may definitely
be aware that it’s all about youth and patriotism [thanks
to the well-crafted promos], but the treatment of the subject
isn’t the type that’ll meet with universal acceptance.
The handling of the subject would restrict it to the elite,
the thinking viewer or those who frequent the multiplexes.
If this faction of movie-going audience might give it a thumbs
up, the aam junta or those looking for a solid entertainer
might look the other way.
Let’s face it, RANG DE BASANTI offers
entertainment, but it’s not your run-of-the-mill kind
of a movie.
Sue [Alice Patten], a young, London-based film-maker chances
upon the diaries of her grandfather, who served in the British
Police Force in India during the freedom struggle. Excited
about these memoirs, she makes plans to shoot a film on the
Indian revolutionaries mentioned in the diaries.
She flies to Delhi and casts a group of five friends to play
the pivotal roles of these revolutionaries. The youngsters
are DJ [Aamir Khan], Karan [Siddharth], Aslam [Kunal Kapoor],
Sukhi [Sharman Joshi] and Sonia [Soha Ali Khan]. One of their
foes, Laxman [Atul Kulkarni], also joins them subsequently.
However, products of modern India, the five youngsters initially
refuse to be part of the project as they don't identify with
these characters from the past. Not surprising, considering
that they are a part of a generation of Indians that believes
in consumerism. To them issues like patriotism and giving
one's life for one's beliefs is the stuff text-books are made
of. They would rather party than be patriots.
In the film, both the 1930s British India and the India today
run parallel and intersect with each other at crucial points.
Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra opens the cards at the very
outset. Alice’s sequences at the start, right till her
arrival in Delhi and conducting a screen-test, are intriguing.
But the film actually gets a push the moment the focus shifts
to the five friends. From being hesitant to eventually agreeing
to enact the roles of the revolutionaries in Alice’s
film, these sequences take the film to an all-time high. In
between, the sequences featuring Atul Kulkarni and Kiron Kher
only cement the goings-on.
The glitch is that the narrative goes into the past and returns
to the present with alarming regularity, which tends to confuse
the viewer at times. Besides, after the first 30 minutes or
so, there’s not much movement in the story.
If the first half abounds in light moments, the post-interval
portions get into a serious mode. The story takes a turn when
one of their friends [Madhavan] expires in an air crash. The
film holds your attention right till the elimination of the
Defence Minister [Mohan Agashe], but the remainder, which
leads to the climax, is a downer. The climax should’ve
been the highpoint of the film, taking the film to a crescendo,
but it doesn’t. In fact, the climax ruins the impact
considerably. Another drawback is that the film goes into
a major flashback in the second half. Agreed, it has been
deftly executed, but the film could’ve done without
those portions. The writers should’ve come to the point
straightaway: The air crash, the awakening and the revenge.
Even the songs -- in the second half specifically -- don’t
really contribute in taking the story forward.
Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has an eye for detail and
it is more than evident in his second endeavor. But it’s
the writing [screenplay: Rensil D Silva and Rakeysh Omprakash
Mehra; story-script: Kamlesh Pandey] that’s not foolproof.
Yet, there’s no denying that Mehra proves his prowess
in a number of sequences. Two shining examples: Aamir breaks
down while having supper with Alice and the group getting
upset after hearing the Defence Minister’s speech. Technically,
it’s a first-rate effort. Dialogues [Prasoon Joshi,
Rensil D Silva] are excellent. The usage of Punjabi words
gives the film that certain freshness.
A.R. Rahman's music is ordinary. Barring ‘Paathshala’
and the title track, Rahman’s score doesn’t stay
with you after the screening has ended. Cinematography [Binod
Pradhan] is outstanding. The lensman captures the essence
of Delhi beautifully. Stunts [Allan Amin] are okay. Visual
effects [Pankaj Khandpur] are topnotch.
You expect Aamir Khan to deliver yet another astounding performance
in RANG DE BASANTI and he does, but it’s
not Aamir alone that you applaud in the film. Of course, Aamir
gets into the skin of the character and delivers a knockout
performance from start to end, but the film has more gems
when it comes to performances: Siddharth [excellent], Atul
Kulkarni [fantastic], Soha Ali Khan [a complete revelation;
efficient], Kunal Kapoor [natural] and Sharman Joshi [powerful].
Alice Patten is brilliant and besides delivering a flawless
performance, her style of speaking Hindi is sure to win a
lot of hearts. Madhavan is likeable. Waheeda Rehman is graceful
as ever. Both Om Puri and Anupam Kher don’t get much
scope. Kiron Kher is exceptional yet again. Mohan Agashe,
Steven Mckintosh, K.K. Raina and Lekh Tandon are adequate.
On the whole, RANG DE BASANTI will have its
share of advocates and adversaries. A well-made film, it caters
more to the elite and the thinking viewer than the aam junta
or the masses. At the box-office, the business will be clearly
divided: The film will do exceptional business at multiplexes,
but won’t be as impressive at single screens of certain
circuits.
From the business point of view, the strategy of releasing
the film extensively [enormous print count], with 14-16 shows
a day at multiplexes and also inflated ticket rates will result
in the film setting new records in the first week. The icing
is the 4-day weekend, which will only compliment its business.
For the distributors, who have bought the film for heavy prices,
the extra-ordinary opening, the first week billing and the
business from multiplexes in days to come will help them reach
the safety mark.
A Hallmark indeed. A Salute to Mr. Mehra and his crew
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