Dawn Is Upon Us
History bumps into reality in a growing-up film for a whole
class NAMRATA JOSHI
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After a run-in with the armed forces and the Animal Welfare Board, when Rakeysh
Mehra's Rang De Basanti finally makes its way to the theatres this Republic
Day, its provocative take on patriotism and the urban youth will prove to be an
interesting new addition to the genre of Indian youth cinema. From Mere Apne,
Vijeta, Hu Tu Tu to Dil Chahta Hai, Yuva, Paanch and Lakshya, we've had a
number of films on the rootlessness of the young and their search for identity
and direction. The distinct element about Rang De... is the way it constantly
interplays between the youth of the past and the youth of today.
There's hope that hidden in the hedonism of today's youth is a possibility, a
spark of the passion of yesterday.
It's a film about contemporary Indian youngsters, their carelessness,
selfishness, materialism, consumerism and lack of idealism. "No one identifies
with the country. They don't want to try to change things for the better. They
haven't heard of flower power, Vietnam, Tiananmen or JP," says Mehra. His film
is also about colonial India of the 1930s and young revolutionaries like Bhagat
Singh, Durga Bhabhi, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaque
Ullah. "I was very keen on doing a film on the armed revolution," says Mehra.
But when he spoke to some young people around him, he realised that no one
seemed to know about it. "These fighters remained figures from distant history,
and hadn't entered the contemporary popular subconscious. So I decided to
juxtapose the youth of today against them, make them see their own images in
another mirror," says Mehra.
In the film these two disparate worlds collide when a bunch of youngsters are
asked to play yesteryear's heroes in a film being made by a British filmmaker
Sue (Alice Patten). It's then that Rang De... comes alive with interesting
parallels and departures. There is a sense of loss when you realise how far Gen
Now has come from those days of pure, heady idealism. And there is a
simultaneous hope that hidden in the hedonism of today's youth is a
possibility, a spark of the passion of yesterday, that the spirit of rebellion
transcends time.
There's DJ, alias Daljeet (Aamir Khan), a loud, over-the-top extrovert who also
hides many insecurities behind his carefree demeanour, insecurities about
facing the real world outside the university. Karan Singhania (Siddharth) has
been born to rich parents, can't communicate with his industrialist father and
thinks there's life in migrating abroad. Aslam (Kunal Kapoor) comes from an
orthodox family which opposes his Hindu friends and laidback lifestyle, even as
he feels suffocated by their ghetto mentality. Sukhi (Sharman Joshi) has only
one wish in life, that he shouldn't die a virgin. Flt Lt Ajay Rathod (R.
Madhavan) is the only one who truly believes in the spirit of India and is
engaged to the only girl in the group, Sonia (Soha Ali Khan).
The journey, the coming of age, is nicely charted out. There's the engaging
banter, the playfulness, the jokes. There's the initial refusal to play the
roles, the lack of identification with freedom fighters, the open questioning
as to why anyone should give his life for the nation. Then, slowly, as the
role-playing takes over, past and present come together in harmony and
completely alter the lives of the young. They become one in spirit with their
characters. The change in mindset, values and perspectives is slow but very
sure and steady.
The most interesting metamorphosis is that of the saffronite rightwing Laxman
Pandey (Atul Kulkarni). The cheerleader of swadeshi is at loggerheads with the
group for their overt westernisation, but Sue sees her Bismil in him. As he
gets to don the role of Ram Prasad Bismil, things change. From an outsider, he
gradually becomes one with the group and also sheds his resentment against
Aslam who plays Ashfaque Ullah alongside him.
Mehra seems to see hope in his fundamentalist frenzy as well. "He lives on the
edge. These youngsters do get swayed by the wave. He could have easily gone the
wrong way, promoting communal hatred," says Mehra. But there is redemption for
him, all he has to do is move away from dirty politics and listen to his own
conscience.
The second half moves on to the cause which fires the group's new-found
idealism and zeal. And quite realistically, it's not a larger social or
political issue that motivates them but something right in their own backyard.
It's when their own personal world gets disturbed that they take to the
streets. The prolonged climax gets volatile and disturbing. But despite the
nihilism inherent in the situation, the film doesn't offer violence as a
solution. On the contrary, it does show up the utter futility of the
protagonists' action.
Another ticklish issue is how the film equates the colonial rule of yore with
the present-day, legitimate, democratically elected governments. But then
again, when you read of the atrocities heaped on the Kalinga Nagar tribals or
the thrashing of young lovers by the Meerut cops, you wonder whether there is
much of a difference. The state can be oppressive beyond time and place. Mehra
claims his intent was not to be anti-establishment, but he also didn't feel the
need to go out and balance his views. "Otherwise the story would have lost its
originality and rawness," he says.
Which is what makes the film's engagement with the issue of nationalism
interesting. Patriotism is not meaningless jingoism, nor blind acceptance of
everything 'Indian'. It is about questioning the state of affairs. It's not
about fighting the enemy outside but sorting out the problems within. "Even
during the freedom struggle, the thinkers did warn about being enslaved by
one's own," says Mehra. His film is not judgmental and overtly moralistic. And
yet the messages are strewn all over: of changing things rather than accepting
them, of making things better.
The film has a great ensemble performance but it's a personal triumph for Aamir
as well. The star who has always been rumoured to steal the best lines and
scenes from right under the noses of his co-stars is totally at ease being one
of the group. He is the most recognisable face yet he doesn't train the camera
on himself alone. And when he gets his big moments he digs into them with
relish. His method acting is at its best when he cries inconsolably for a lost
friend. There is the food stuck in his mouth, there's grief, the inability to
be articulate, yet also the need to unburden himself, and the sense of cynicism
that nothing would change despite all their efforts. Aamir manages to convey it
all effortlessly.
And much like Dil Chahta Hai where he cracked a joke on his obsession with
"perfection" (remember the line 'you can't improve on perfection'), here he
takes a dig at his fixation with his characters' get-up. Look out for the scene
where he experiments with several kinds of moustaches to finally zoom in on the
right one and you know the joke is on Mangal Pandey.
Rang De is getting a wide release with about 600 prints. No wonder the thematic
layers are also sprinkled with a good amount of entertainment. Despite its
seriousness, it's a fun film to watch. This is where it differs from a film
like Gulzar's Hu Tu Tu. Hu Tu Tu had a similar stridency of tone but its
mofussil feel and dark vision limited its appeal. Rang De works because it is
able to talk in an energetic, edgy lingo to the urban middle class. A middle
class that's comfortable, secure and confident enough now to question itself
and the country. Ten years ago, the same film would have been ahead of its
times.This Republic Day, the timing seems just perfect.
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