Just the right amount of comedy, flair, wit and depth

Rating: 9/10 (5 April 2006)

Rang De Basanti is about a group of college boys in a college in Delhi, who live life like everyday is their last. They are trapped in bubble where life could not get better, too afraid to face reality, until a British reporter who wants to make a documentary on Indian freedom fighters comes into their lives and asks them to act in it. A series of events occur that ultimately lead them to experience the rage and anger felt by the characters they act out in the documentary and ultimately become them.
Rakesh Omprakash Mehra does an excellent job at drawing the parallel between the youth of the earlier 20th century and the youth of today by showing the quality they both share; the passion to fight for what they believe in. The movie also criticizes the view that any attempt to improve India's government system is futile, which is shared by many today, and I think it is necessary to challenge this view if the country is to really make progress. Even though this theme is often overused to make any commercial film seem more meaningful, it is not the case with Rang De Basanti where there is a lot of meaningful symbolism used to convey this theme.
In addition, Amir Khan, just as in Dil Chahta Dai, does a great job at acting out a college kid, making the audience laugh at every moment. His accent although, not completely genuine, is nevertheless impressive. Excellent screenplay and A.R. Rahman never letting us down with a great soundtrack.