not all that great

Rating: 10/10 (28 February 2006)

I found Rang De Basanti nice not because of its story, or plot (which I think is too subjective) but because of the camera angles ( at least now i can say, BOLLYWOOD HAS ARRIVED! in that department, with confidence...), background score, acting, and of course, Kunal Kapoor. I liked the way the past merges into the present. And the way they have compared the past scenario with that of the present. The film is very appetizing visually. But apart from that, I really don't find any motive behind this movie. Was it meant for entertainment? Or was it meant to give its audiences some food for thought? Or just another Bollywood emotional drama? The characters in the movie were too drastic. I feel sad for those innocent men who were sacrificed because of two women : "Gulabo" is the one who is making the movie and sort of mobilizes them, Soha's character who very cold bloodedly says, "kill him!" And she doesn't get punished for the murder! Well, come on now, didn't these people have minds of their own? Couldn't they have talked about their plight on the radio without all that bloodshed? Exposed the people who had wronged them in a better, more mature way rather than those typically clichéd adrenalin driven Punjabi men brought up on lassi and butter-soaked paranthas? I'd rather vouch for Yuva by Mani Ratnam where the youthful energy is channelized in a constructive manner. And something that was absolutely maddening was Madhavan getting shot in the Jalianwala Bagh and saying something like, "Oh no you spoiled my jacket!" For Heaven's sake, have some respect for those thousands of people who died out there battling for our freedom!