The future of India is in the hands of the youth

Rating: 10/10 (28 January 2006)

To say that I was impressed by "Rang de.." would be a gross understatement. It is the kind of movie which makes you sit back, and forces you to do some deep soul searching. And that is the mark of a successful movie.....the kind which makes you think. Themes like corruption, the criminal nexus between nethas and businessmen have been dealt umpteen number of times in Indian cinema. But almost all of them failed to show a realistic solution to the problem. That is where "Rang de..." scores. And it was like a hard slap across the face for the political establishment.
The underlying message within the movie is that if today's youth remain cynical and resign themselves to doing nothing about the evils plaguing the society, then no one can save India from falling apart. It is truly a wake-up call. I deeply applaud the courage and conviction of the director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra for not shying away from depicting the truth as is, and also for not succumbing to pressures from different quarters in the establishment to modify certain portions of the movie.
The film clearly belongs to the youngsters. Of all the lot, Aamir Khan, Siddarth, Alice Patton and Soha Ali Khan stand out. Aamir Khan is a seasoned actor who played a role some 10-15 years younger to him. But nobody can question the sincerity nor fail to appreciate the sheer brilliance of his performance. South Indian actor Siddarth is a true revelation. With his sober nature completely masking his controlled intensity, this guy has done a fantastic job. Alice Patton is first-rate and her Hindi diction is near flawless. Soha Ali Khan makes you want to believe that great acting skills are inherited with her riveting performance. Kunal Kapoor, Sharman Joshi and Atul Kulkarni's characters seem stereotyped, but nevertheless, fit seamlessly into the large scheme of things.
The climax is hard-hitting and in my opinion, the highlight of this movie. Any more talk from my side, I fear would be a spoiler. On the technical front, ARRahman redeems himself for the fiasco of Mangal Pandey, with a stirring score. Cinematography is brilliant; and camera-work is classy, especially the use of tint to show flash-backs. The movie has it's share of flaws. However, it's the mark of a great entertainer that it overcomes it's flaws and etches itself in the memory of the viewer. "Rang De Basanti" is a great entertainer. To rephrase a quote from the movie, "There are movies which make you cry, and there are movies which make you laugh..... and then there is a third kind....movies which make you think". I fervently appeal to the youth of India to think !