Rang De Basanti
Rating: ***
Suddenly, there is an entire generation of film makers who think it’s about
time people gave back something to the nation. The end result – some different
albeit flawed work – Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Swades, Farhan Akhtar’s Lakshya and
of course Mani Ratnam’s Yuva.
The latest in line of the new age patriotic films is Rang De Basanti
– Rakyesh Mehra’s second film after the critically lamented Aks in 2001! The
film is about a young English film maker, Sue who inspired by the memoirs of
her grandfather comes down to Delhi to make a documentary-drama on Indian
freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad and their
contemporaries. She meets a bunch of Delhi University students for whom life
means fast cars, beer guzzling and living for the moment. She casts them in the
film, the present and the past blur and their lives change forever.
Fortunately for Mehra, this time he gets most things right – an unusual
narrative technique coupled with great technical pizzazz. To top that, the
casting is bang on. Actually, have to confess here that Aamir Khan looks a tad
old for the 28 year old Delhi University degenerate Daljeet better known as DJ.
But having said that, after a disappointing ‘The Rising’ – this film brings
Aamir back in top form – so forgive the occasional unflattering close up! What
also works for the film is not just Aamir, but the bunch of relative unknowns
who make up the rest of the cast – be it Kunal Kapoor (unadulterated eye
candy), Southern import Siddharth, (great screen presence) Sharman Joshi
(fantastic comic timing) and of course Alice Patten – the most refreshing
phirang to have made a Bollywood debut! And then there is the ever
dependable Atul Kulkarni and surprise, surprise Soha Ali Khan who manages a
pretty efficient performance! There is also Madhavan in a
brief appearance as an air force pilot, who charms in spite of a bad wig and
something which looks suspiciously like a paunch So far, so good – and THEN
the last one hour happens where all the good work is undone. Your heart sinks
as Mehra goes down the contrived, simplistic and rather naïve route. The
portrayal of the Defence Minister and the MIG 21 scam, which is the crux of the
plot, never goes beyond a caricature. And somewhere the rather disturbing
premise is put forward that killing a modern day politician is an act of
national bravery equal to the effort of revolutionaries in the pre-
independence era. That’s where Rang De Basanti sinks into the melodrama of the
Hindi film of the eighties. That’s where the message of doing something for
your county doesn’t sink in. And that’s where and why the film only just about
makes it to a three star rating... by the skin of its teeth!
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