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'Rang De Basanti' - patriotism that's not preachy
By Arpana, Indo-Asian News Service

Film: "Rang De Basanti"; Cast: Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Atul Kulkarni, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan Pataudi, Alice Patten, R. Madhavan, Waheeda Rehman, Kirron Kher and Om Puri; Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra; Producer: Ronnie Screwvala; Music: A.R. Rahman; Rating ***

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I don't remember when I last saw a movie that had a story to tell and a message to give -- and did so in a real, gritty manner without being either preachy or dreary. 

Some people say history is boring. But sometimes walking through the lanes of the past can be enjoyable and gratifying, especially if your guide is someone as gifted as Rakyesh Mehra and companions as spirited as Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Kunal Kapoor and Soha. 

If Mehra's directorial debut "Aks" was unusual, his latest "Rang De Basanti" is atypical and awe-inspiring. It is not a patriotic film that bores you by glorifying the past. Instead, it meticulously draws a line between the past and the present, both of which move in parallel lines. If the past shows a group of young martyrs sacrificing their lives to uproot the British from the country, the present has a bunch of college pass-outs clueless about their future. 

The film records their transition while they work on a documentary film based on the lives of freedom fighters, a gradual awakening to what life around them is all about.

If Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev fought against British rule, these youngsters wage a war against corrupt politicians who rule and ruin the country.

The film opens in London where young British girl Sue, played by Alice Patten, chances upon the diary of her grandfather, who served as a jailor during the British rule in India. She decides to make a film on the young Indian revolutionaries mentioned in the diary.

The company she works in refuses to sponsor her. It doesn't dampen her spirit and she flies down to India where she meets Sonia, played by Soha Ali Khan, who helps her in realising her dream. Sonia introduces her to DJ (Aamir Khan), Karan (Siddharth), Sukhi (Sharman Joshi), Aslam (Kunal Kapoor). After meeting them, Sue decides to make a film with them on martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad and Rajguru.

Initially, they surprise her with their cynicism about freedom fighters, India's future and corruption. The youngsters are convinced nobody can propel India in the right direction. 

But once they begin enacting the lives of the historical characters comes the transformation in their outlook about the present and their own role in changing it. The death of their friend, Flt. Lt. Ajay Rathod, played by R. Madhavan, ignites their anger against the system and they explode. 

The film sends out the message that every generation fights its own set of battles for the country.

Hindu fundamentalists are also targeted in the film through Atul Kulkarni, an extremist who fights to retain his Indian-ness. After watching the film, the pre-release hype over MiG fighter planes seems pointless.

Most films these days have a predictable story and viewers are usually a step ahead in foreseeing what's next. But Mehra proves to be cleverer and keeps the curiosity alive till the end. The climax comes as a big 'surprise'. 

Aamir proves his mettle as a cheerful extrovert, though at some places his age betrays him. Anyway, "Rang De Basanti" cannot be termed an out and out Aamir film because the rest of the cast gets equal opportunity to showcase their talents and they don't disappoint you even once.

The film has stellar performances by the entire cast. British actress Alice Patten is brilliant and Soha surprises by her acting prowess. In fact, this could be called her best performance so far. 

Om Puri, Kirron Kher and Waheeda Rehman walk in and out of the script in minuscule roles.

A.R. Rahman's music complements the story, but the editing is a little loose and at times obstructs the flow of the story. 

In sum, an entertaining film -- and an enlightening one too. Well worth the money spent.

(The author can be contacted at arpana.s@ians.in)

*************

Near flawless merger of past and present
By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service

Film: "Rang De Basanti"; Cast: Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Atul Kulkarni, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan, Alice Patten, Waheeda Rehman and Madhavan; Written and Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra; Rating: **** 1/2

So early during the year, when you're least expecting it, comes along this film to grab you by your soul. It happened last year at this time when Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Black" gate-crashed into our purview.

It's happened again this year. "Rang De Basanti" is undoubtedly THE film of the year. Its theme is so excitingly original, the tonal textures are so untried and yet so visually, emotionally and aesthetically energised you wonder how such a near-flawless merger of history and fiction could be achieved with such editing and directorial cogency.

In every sense of the word "Rang De Basanti" is a winner. Its aesthetic values and characterisations fill you with amazement and elation. It's a gloriously triumphant look at today's lives. And yet it audaciously takes a sweeping, arching look at history for answers to the Big Question.

Where has today's generation gone wrong? Why is the nation so inured in corruption? And why are we so enamoured of the stagnant status quo? Are we scared to sweep the garbage? 

These are lofty thoughts, often swept by popular art under a carpet of cynicism. But not this time! Rakeysh Mehra achieves a stirring and stunning synthesis of social relevance and mesmerising storytelling. His first film "Aks" was about the supernatural. "Rang De Basanti" too has a supernatural quality to it. Though on this occasion that quality comes from within a contemporary setting rather than any desire to seek answers to our present-day imbroglio in other-worldly explanations.

From the start we are led into a world where youthful aspirations are aligned to the socio-political reality of a country on the brink. "Rang De Basanti" is a film on the edge. 

"Is desh ka kuch nahin hoga!" How many times have we said this to ourselves and to others?

Mehra's protagonists, an assorted bunch of collegians and post-college friends, are played with amazingly casual grace by Aamir Khan (DJ), Siddharth (Karan), Sharman Joshi (Sukhi), Kunal Kapoor (Aslam) and Soha Ali Khan (Sonia). 

Into their world of endless fun and aimless aspirations comes a pretty and brainy British girl named Sue (the lovely and graceful debutant Alice Patten). Prompted by her colonialist-grandfather's diary, Sue wants to make a film on the life of the legendary Indian freedom fighters - Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and others.

And guess what? Sue wants to cast DJ and gang as the revolutionaries!

The guffaws and the giggles that follow Sue's dreams fade away, as this youthful brigade of adrift dreamers gets down to the ritual of acquainting itself with Indian history. 

"Rang De Basanti" dares to point fingers and tell us where we've gone wrong. It isn't only a film about the education of a generation without moorings, it's also an outstandingly accomplished piece of cinema. 

Mehra proves to be an outstanding raconteur and technician. With the deft and diligent editor (P.S. Bharathi) tailoring the past to merge fluently into the present, and Binod Pradhan's camera capturing Delhi and its surroundings as a character rather than cities, Mehra's job of bringing the past into the same line of vision as contemporary India is rendered unforgettable. 

"Rang De Basanti" is an extremely ambitious film. It tries to educate the generations in independent India, which have brought the country to its current crisis of moral and political corruption. But it never gets hysterical or polemical, thanks to Prasoon Joshi and Rensil D Silva's conversational yet penetrating dialogues. 

Mani Ratnam attempted the same theme in a different, less dramatic light in "Yuva". Rakeysh Mehra goes many steps ahead. He blends historical events from the past with today's newspaper headlines. The film-within-a-film format gives the narrative the texture of a life lived in layered luminosity.

Not for a second does Rakeysh Mehra falter in his vision. The story of today's youth, their lack of connectivity with their past and the prevalent moral degeneration of the nation could quite easily have lapsed into a holier-than-thou jingoistic exposition. 

"Rang De Basanti" works wonderfully and exceptionally as both a political parable and a spanking story on the scars of the times. In the fusion of fact and fiction, style and content the film is both teasing and tempting. While you applaud the filmmaker's immense stronghold over his storytelling, the characters never seem dwarfed by their ambience.

You come away, haunted and bewildered by the issues that Mehra raises. You come away from "Rang De Basanti" enchanted by the natural verve of its songs and dances, its director's flair for creating fissures and feeling from within the characters rather than imposing creative authority from outside. 

This is the most aesthetic 'Indian' film since Sanjay Bhansali's "Devdas", though miles removed in colour and mood. The actors mesh so well with each other that the volatile thematic strands (for instance the friendship that grows between the rabid Hindu played by Atul Kulkarni and the liberal Muslim Kunal Kapoor) never bind down the narration. 

In hundreds of ways, Mehra could've milked every frame for emotions. Where he could've opted for melodrama he pulls back...and lets the tears flow only when the MiG pilot (Madhavan, in an endearing cameo) perishes. The song during the funeral sung by Lata Mangeshkar, featuring the mother (Waheeda Rehman), rips your hearts open.

There're interludes and visuals in "Rang De Basanti" which shall remain alive forever. There may be better films. But there will never be another one quite like this one.