A piece of cinematic brilliance!

Rating: 10/10 (30 January 2006)

Rang de Basanti- A Generation awakens, marks Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's return to direction after a hiatus of nearly five years. As with his earlier venture Aks, Rang de Basanti stands out for its technical brilliance. Yet, this time Mehra also proves that he is an excellent story-teller and brings out magnificent performances from all his actors.
The title Rang de Basanti is inspired from the legendary song of the same name that the Indian Freedom Fighter Bhagat Singh sang, while he and his comrades were being taken to the gallows, way back in 1931. That is essentially what the movie is about, the awakening of the "MTv" generation to the problems faced by modern India, just like a generation of young Indians awakened in the 1920s to take proactive measures against a tyrannical imperial rule.
When a young British filmmaker comes to New Delhi to make a documentary about the lives of the Indian Revolutinaries, she is shocked at the apathetic and indifferent attitude of the young India. This generation is consumed by materialism, is cynical to the core, and the sacrifices of their forefathers for the country's freedom seem to matter little to them. Yet deep inside, lies a sense of frustration and helplessness against a system so wrong that little hope exists of correcting it. As she ropes in a bunch of college going youngsters to star in her documentary she realizes how hard her job is going to be. Slowly however, she notices a change in the attitudes of these young students. And one event changes everything.......
Rang de Basanti is filled with poignant moments that truly force the viewer to think. Rang de Basanti is filled with excellent performances, especially that of Aamir Khan. The man is in excellent form and the viewer is awed watching his realistic and convincing performance as the effervescent DJ. The support cast does exceedingly well with stellar performances from Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth and Sharman Joshi. This is a movies that one doesn't come across everyday, and kudos to the makers for attempting a different and refreshing film. Rakeysh Mehra, take a bow, you have made a gem! This movie works all right!!