A hard-hitting film - a masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (11 February 2006)

Most of the movies remains with you only until the closing credits start rolling down on the screen. Rarely do you come across a movie that haunts you for a long time after you leave the theatre. "Rang De Basanti" falls into the second category.
The story of the protagonist(s) taking law into their own hands is not new to silver screen. Amitabh has done it umpteen times during his "angry young" days, Om Puri did it in "Ardh Satya", Nana Patekar repeated the act in "Ankush" and "Prahaar". But it is the treatment and the contemporary touch given to "Rang De.." that makes it fall apart from the other movies.
This movie does not have the shallow patriotism of Manoj Kumar movies, neither it has the hollow feeling of morality depicted in "Dev" or "Bombay". It is a very down to earth movie that asks the same question again - the purpose of life of an average Indian and the corrupt system.
I entered the theatre expecting it to be some kind of either a biography of Chandrashekhar Azaad/Bhaghat Singh, or some antics of so called "collegeians". But right from the opening scenes do you realize that you are not watching a typical "run-of-the-mill" kind of movie. The setup of the movie is Delhi University - but there are no sissy principals, no stupid professors, students do not dance in the corridors. In fact, college is just used as a sort of backdrop to show the contemporary youth of India.
The story goes likes this. Sue, a movie-maker, who is grand-daughter of a jailer during British rule comes to India to make a movie based on lives of freedom fighters. She has a hand written diary, handed down by her grand-father,which accounts the details of last days of these freedom fighters. How she manages to shoot the movie and how the movie affects the life of the "actors" who enact the roles - forms the crux of the movie. Since I have not seen Denys Arcand's Jesus De Montreal, it would be difficult to tell as to how heavily does "Ran De.." borrows from "Jesus.." But for Indian spectators, "Rang De.." sure brings a change from the routine cinema.
Rakesh Mehra proves , that you do not need the lavish plains of Europe or Alpine backdrops to make a successful movie. There are no designer outfits, no lavish sets and homes, no BMWs. The actors are as "next door" as they can be. The good part is - there are no songs that ruin the pace of movie. Songs are only there when they are needed and do not obstruct the flow of the story.
The movie is in two parts - One that depicts the life of Chandrashekhar Azaad, Ram Prasad Bismil, Bhagat Singh and his fellow freedom fighters. The other part depicts the moral dilemma that the actors face after having gone into the "skin" of these characters. But these two parts are very cleverly interwoven, without any shoddy patchwork. The "past" has been deftly shot in the "sepia" , which really sets the tone of the "documentary". The story frequently switches between the past and the present, and this switch is very skilfully handled.
The photography is one of the foremost strength of this movie. Whether it is the friends hanging out in an old fort or whether it is the Golden Temple in Amritsar - the cameraman has done excellent job. It proves once again, that the good movies should be always seen in theatres, not on a TV.
All the actors have given their best. It is difficult to point out any particular performance. Although, I believe Aamir sometimes goes on top, re-enacting his "tapori" kind of role in Rangeela. Even though it is Soha Ali Khan's sixth movie (as per IMDb), her acting shows a lot of maturity. The only disappointment comes in form of Om Puri, who has a very brief role.
AR Rehman once again reaffirms his position as the topmost music directors of recent times. Music has a contemporary feel - yet it is not jarring to ears. Nowhere does the music overpowers the movie. Still it is very effectively used to set the mood of the movie.
To summarize, it is after long time (perhaps after "Lagaan") that Indian screen has seen such a masterpiece. Hope it sweeps all the awards during the next year, and maybe get nominated for Oscar. Let us keep our fingers crossed and pray....