RANG DE BASANTI - MOVIE REVIEW
HE SAID:
Brilliant movie, although a bit confused looking. The primary messages seem to be:
1. If the need arises, the youth of today's India will rise to the occasion and achieve what ever is necessary ala the independence got for us by our forefathers. They are shiftless today due to a lack of purpose - something greater than themselves to work towards.
2. The reason for a person to resort to terrorism is when he lives in a society that does not provide some kind of justice for his woes. When he can turn to no one and do nothing else, he starts picking up the gun as a means to get results.
The effort to be modern, while essaying a serious tale of the freedom struggle, while novel, makes for a very messy movie to watch. The point that a British girl sees more in India than our own youth is not to be missed.
Another subtle message of the movie is that the punjabis are very patriotic and no matter what difficulty they may have had in the last decade, constitute a strong part of our nation.
The songs put to music by A.R. Rahman have turned out very well. It is very difficult to get them out of your head, especially the title track.
Aamir Khan is getting too old for the wild college boy roles. He is very good when he is emoting and one cannot help feeling young when he gets ready to pull some stupid prank with that wild half grin on his face.
Sidharth needs special mention. He has shown that he is capable of doing well when given meaty roles. A piece of advice for him - put out that cigarette until you learn how to smoke it correctly.
Kunal Kapoor has played the role of a Muslim caught between his strict family and his carefree friends, with zest. His male model good looks do nothing to reduce the seriousness of his acting.
Sharman Joshi has played the role of the dumb but funny college jock quite well, leading us to wonder if his real-life persona is similar to his on-screen one.
Atul Kulkarni has transcended his image of the angry young man that he has played in almost all his roles until now. A superb performance.
Alice Patten is outstanding in the main role in the movie. Her persona just radiates love for India and everything Indian. Her anguish at not being able to fire up Indian youth and make them understand the sacrifices that the freedom fighters went through, is amazing.
Madhavan has done his guest role with restraint. It should be pointed out that it is getting more difficult to stomach him in the role of a recently graduated college boy, hanging out with other kids. He is showing maturity in his acting.
Soha Ali Khan plays the role of a modern Indian girl with aplomb. The part where she says "kill him" is a little weak, but that is not her fault. It is a hole in the script.
Overall, the movie presents a very encouraging message of hope. It says that even if India's youth might be Americanised and seemingly aimless, they have it in them to rise to the occasion if the situation demands it.
Definitely must see. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, I give this movie a 8.
SHE SAID:
What does the title 'Rang de basanti' have to do with the movie? No connection.
Absolutely hate the potrayal of Indian youth as bumbling idiots, who need a foreigner to tell them that they do not appreciate their country better.
Spending a large portion of the movie trashing Indians and then presenting a short optimistic message at the end of the movie does not constitute an overall positive message from the film.
Was it really necessary for the protagonists to turn to violence, when their friend dies and is bad-mouthed by the concerned politician? Was there no other recourse open to them? It seems a bit extreme, just to make a point.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, I give this movie a 2.
